Johanniter Germany supports the establishment and operation of vaccination centres nationwide, which are intended to protect the population against the COVID-19 virus.

“With our established disaster management structures, we are well prepared to make our contribution to contain the virus,” says Jörg Lüssem, member of the Federal Board of Johanniter.

In many regions, preparations for the operation of vaccination centres and the provision of mobile vaccination teams are ongoing. All nine regional Johanniter associations are currently involved in the implementation at around 200 locations in Germany.

Kevin Grigorian, Head of the Department for Rescue Services and Civil Protection at the Federal Headquarters, emphasises: “Even though the establishment and operation of vaccination centres is something new for all of us and we always have to adapt to the different framework conditions on site, we can build well on our disaster management experience from past missions. We support not only with personnel but also with material and vehicles in setting up the vaccination centres.”

As an aid organisation, Johanniter Germany has more than 40,000 volunteers. More than 6,000 of them have specialised disaster management training. They are available in 194 civil protection units throughout Germany to take over tasks in situations such as the current Corona pandemic.

To combat the Corona pandemic, Johanniter has been active in many places since February 2020. Currently, Johanniter operates almost 100 Corona test stations and provides mobile test teams.

Since June 2020, Johanniter has been a partner of the Helmholtz Institute’s nationwide study. In addition, there are voluntary activities in many places, such as shopping services for at-risk patients, learning support for children and young people, and meeting offers against loneliness for senior citizens.