A Berlin shopping mall's vaccine success story

Located at Berlin's central Alexanderplatz, Alexa is one of the biggest shopping malls in the German capital. But you have to look hard to see any signs of the huge impact that COVID has had across the country in recent times. Stickers on the floor at the entry area, calling on shoppers to maintain a healthy distance from each other, are slowly being rubbed out by passing feet.

However, take the escalator and go up just one floor and there's an unexpected sight in this temple to consumerism: a state-of-the-art vaccination center run by the German Red Cross.

This is where we meet the man in charge: Konstantin Keesmann. A cellphone at his ear, the 33-year-old is making sure that everything is working smoothly. Embedding a vaccination center in a shopping mall was his idea. Keesmann is the disaster relief manager for his local municipal authority, and his job is to develop action plans for the municipality to better respond to emergencies — like a pandemic. Now, he has established himself as an expert on getting vaccinations to the people.

With infections spiking once again, Germany is seeing its hospitals fill up with COVID patients— and 90% of those in the intensive care units are unvaccinated. The country has one of Europe's lowest vaccination rates; only 66.5% of Germans are fully vaccinated. Half of the 20 million people who have not been vaccinated so far are children under the age of 12, for whom vaccination has not yet been recommended.

All efforts to boost the vaccination rate seem to have had little impact. Now, a poll of 3,000 unvaccinated individuals, carried out by the research firm Forsa on behalf of the German Health Ministry, found that 65% of them have absolutely no intention of getting a COVID-19 jab in the next two months; 23% said they would "probably not" do so.

But Keesmann's Alexa vaccination center administers more than 200 shots each day, and 50 to 60 of them are first-time vaccinations. "We've almost reached full capacity already," he says.

He's proud to point out that he managed to put together his concept for the Alexa center in just two days, and quickly got the green light. "And then, everything went really fast: the contract for the project was signed on Monday. Required materials delivered on Tuesday. Assembly on Thursday morning. Press conference for the official opening on Thursday afternoon," he says. 

Shots in a relaxed atmosphere

So, what has made this vaccination center a success, while others sometimes appear to be almost empty? "You need to take people to a place that they will find relaxing, where there is no stress. Somewhere that is easy to navigate and has a good infrastructure," says Keesmann. It's a strategy that has been copied by others across Berlin.

In the shop window at the makeshift Alexa vaccination center, a sign reads: "Today: Moderna Vaccine." Keesmann and his team are using typical shopping-mall strategies to get their message across.

Around 15 people are in line, waiting to get a jab. The line goes back around the corner and into a stairwell — they're not getting in anyone else's way, and  shoppers can still move around as usual. At the back of the line is Nadia, who is just filling out her vaccination form.

"My first injection was at Ikea. Now, number two at Alexa," she says with a smile. In front of Nadia, we meet a young man who says he wanted the right location, the right setting. He lives just two streets away — very convenient, he says, when it comes to getting a booster shot. That's an option that's available to everyone who has so far just had one injection of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

Inside, there's not a lot of space: essentially two small cabins on the left where the injections take place, plus a third in case of an emergency. On the right stand two tables where the paperwork is done.

The rear wall is covered with shoe racks — a reminder that, until very recently, this space was a busy shoe shop. Plush red security cords mounted on lavish, gold-colored supports evoke the sense that this is an exclusive environment — and it does indeed feel somewhat smarter than the average sterile mall. 

Nearby is a seating area for people who have just been vaccinated. Though it's stylish and comfortable, the thoughts of many quickly begin to drift back to shopping. But the nurses recommend that they play it safe and wait for 15 minutes before they head back out into the mall.

Booster shots

An elderly couple, both over 80, has just taken a seat. They live just a couple of stops away on the subway. "I come here often. So, I thought I'd take a closer look and find out whether it's time to get our third injection," says the man. His wife, he explains, can't be on her feet for too long, so time is an issue. "And this was just fine," she says with relief. "We didn't even need an appointment. Super!"

This has been their third vaccination, a booster shot recommended for people over the age of 70, those working in the medical profession and residents and staff in homes for the elderly and general care homes.

Sitting nearby is an elderly lady with her son. She says she lives out in the suburbs, and explains that she is nevertheless "very happy" to be able to get her third injection at such a convenient location. It's easily accessible on Berlin's city rail network, the S-Bahn. 

Her son is also impressed by the efficiency of the procedure at the mall clinic. "You can come along here and get vaccinated straight away — without an appointment — even on a Saturday," he says. With one eye on his mother, he says that many people are reluctant to spend ages standing in line "in the middle of nowhere." 

But although things appear to be going well, Kessmann says he's worried about the future. He says they need fresh supplies of vaccines, which is the responsibility of the regional government. But after the elections at the end of September, coalition negotiations are set to take a while. Meanwhile, infections are predicted to rise again in the winter months.

Despite the uncertainty, Kessmann says he hopes to keep his center in business into the coming year.

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