Hi all,
My wife and I are traveling to Austria from September 14 to 27. We are starting in Vienna. In California, we will be missing the first offerings of the new COVID vaccine, which doesn't start until a bit later in September. Can anyone recommend how a tourist might get a covid vaccine in Vienna? I would really like to avoid getting the virus on our vacation.
Thanks!
Can't answer your question, but can you share where you are getting your information (which appears to be fairly specific) about the date when updated COVID jabs are expected to be available in your local area (California)?
Like you, I am heading out for a European trip in mid-September. Like you, I have been hoping to get the updated jab as soon as it's available, and before we depart for Europe (I'm leaving on 9/15). I live in Seattle.
I have been searching the internets for firm details or reasonable guesses, or at least vague hints about when the new vaccines should become available (and I just did again, moments ago). I've found nothing solid or even squishy, only the same generic "it's expected in the fall" or "around the time that seasonal flu vaccines are available".
IF this year's annual COVID update rollout follows the timing we've seen in previous years, new jabs should be available by the first few days of September. Last year (2024) I got the new jab on August 28. In 2023 the new one became available locally on September 16. I've been pretty lucky/successful in getting the shots within the first day or two of availability (my spouse, who is a frontline health care provider, gets it days before the release to the general population).
So I've been hoping for availability in the first week of September. I'd be disappointed to find it won't roll out until late September. Can you say where you're getting info that's saying you're gonna miss the first availability because you're flying to Europe on 9/14?
Thanks.
Hi David,
I got that information from Kaiser, who is my insurance provider. My wife and I almost always travel this time of year due to work issues, so its always a nailbiter as to whether we can get vaccinated. I'm going to keep trying locally, but want to be prepared.
Josh
Yep, we also favor early- to mid-September starts for trips to much of Europe, so same issue with trying to squeeze in the jab right before we start packing. Thanks for the info. I will continue to scour the internets for any hints of release dates for the upcoming jab. Will share here if/when something materializes. I will continue to hope for an early-September jab, but will start thinking about a Plan B in case it's late to arrive.
We visited Belgium, France, Luxembourg, Netherlands and Mosel, Germany a few years ago. We left at the beginning of September. I tried to get a flu and COVID vaccine before we left. No one in my area had the flu vaccine at that point. My doctor told me that she didn't feel the COVID vaccine would be worthwhile for me because the new one hadn't come out, and I had had a booster about 8 months earlier. At my insistence, she ended up approving the COVID vaccine for me. My husband's doctor wouldn't approve one, he didn't think it worthwhile given the new one would be out shortly.
We were in the Champagne region at the end of our trip. We took a tour/tasting at a place with tunnels and underground storage that was used during WWII. As I went down the tight stairway, I thought, this is COVID waiting to happen. And, two days after returning home, my husband and I had COVID. We were probably contagious (no symptoms) on our return flight, which makes me sad. I hate to think I might have gotten someone sick.
A few people told me that Europe had the new strains before the U.S. So we very likely were infected with strains that had not yet reached the U.S. Just like me to be "cutting edge". (JK)
This year, we are going to England at the beginning of September. I turn 65, 9/1, so I'm not even sure I can get a COVID shot in August before I leave. Thank you to Secretary Kennedy. . .
So that's our experience. To the OP, you are in Austria less than 2 weeks. Studies seem to indicate that patients do not build full immunity until 2 weeks or so after the vaccine. Trust me, I want to avoid another bout of COVID as much as the next person, but I don't feel like you will build enough immunity to make it worth while.
Keep in mind the shot ( covid or flu) doesn't reach 'full strength' effect until about 2 weeks after the jab.
Getting a shot while on your trip will be of minimal benefit for the time on the trip.
How quickly does the COVID-19 vaccine become effective?
It usually takes about two weeks for the vaccine to become effective. The CDC website provides more information on how the COVID-19 vaccines work.
How long does the COVID-19 vaccine last?
Studies suggest that COVID-19 vaccines are most effective during the first three months after vaccination.
I too am seeking this latest Covid shot.
While this is not the answer to how the OP can get a dose in Vienna, it has been suggested to me that getting another dose of last year’s vaccine is probably better than nothing (as my last shot was in November 2025). Getting the shot is drop-in at Kaiser Northern California so I am planning on going next week. Separately, my daughter has been notified via work that they can get their shots on-site starting 6 September..so they do exist and there is a supply. Sadly, we leave 5 September and wouldn’t be eligible anyway cuz we don’t work for her employer.
I suspect Kaiser will have their supply soon so I am going to plead with my MD for a possible early dose?? Not sure though that if I get last year’s shot, will they give me this year’s within a few weeks?
Couple things...
Nobody's going to give you a COVID jab if you have received one the the past two months (this is one of the screening/qualification questions they ask when signing up for an appointment), unless you can make a very strong case for an exception to the rules. Just sayin'.
I was just in Costco this afternoon. They give do a lot of vaccinations. I asked one of the pharmacy staff if they knew when the new updated COVID shots would be available. She said they were expecting them sometime in the last week of August or the first week of September, same as the last couple of years. Now, she may or may not know what she's talking about, but she seemed to be expecting "business as usual," which I took as a hopeful sign. We'll see.
I leave 9/7 and would like to get the vaccine like I did last year at the end of August. Costco told me they have fall’s flu vaccine so I’ll get that this week.
From what I’ve read, Maderna’s Covid vaccine was in May(?) approved for the fall.
As someone who lives in Vienna, my doctor hasn't discussed a COVID vaccine with me for a few years. I don't think it is really a thing anymore in Austria to get a COVID vaccine easily. As mentioned above, I believe that the efficacy of the vaccine doesn't hit until about two week post injection - but I am not a doctor.
That said, I can point you to the page of the US Embassy Austria's website which lists recommended physicians. My personal physician is on that list as well as the practice of Dr. Molnar, the panel physician of the Embassy (I work with his clinic professionally). Perhaps you make some inquiries and see what the doctors on the ground recommend.
I would caution that Austria is very different from the US when it comes to vaccines. There is no CVS or Walgreens type of facility where you can just walk in. A vaccination would need to be done by a physician and you would need to make an appointment. Appointments typically costs 100 - 150 Euro per visit plus the cost of a vaccine.
Do you purchase health insurance for your travels? If so, I would reach out to that provider for information.
