RSV vaccination at the pharmacy

Since 2 July 2026, trained pharmacists have also been allowed to vaccinate against RSV, from the age of 18. They may do so under § 20c of the Infektionsschutzgesetz, Germany’s Infection Protection Act. RSV stands for respiratory syncytial virus. According to the Paul-Ehrlich-Institut, the federal institute for vaccines, it infects the airways, and the symptoms usually resemble a cold.

The vaccination is not yet available at every pharmacy. A pharmacist needs training first. The ABDA, the national pharmacists’ association, says the Bundesapothekerkammer (the federal chamber of pharmacists) still has to draw up the model curricula for it. § 20c does not oblige any pharmacy to vaccinate.

Who the RSV vaccination is recommended for

The Ständige Impfkommission at the Robert Koch-Institut, Germany’s standing committee on vaccination, recommends a single RSV vaccination for everyone aged 75 and over. It is a standard vaccination for this age group. From 60 to 74, its 2026 recommendation covers only people who live in a care home and people with a severe underlying condition.

The conditions it lists include severe forms of:

• chronic diseases of the airways
• chronic diseases of the heart, circulation and kidneys
• chronic neurological and neuromuscular diseases
• haemato-oncological diseases, meaning cancers of the blood and the lymphatic system
• diabetes mellitus with complications
• a congenital or acquired immune deficiency, meaning a weakened immune system

Mild or uncomplicated forms, and forms well controlled by medication, do not count. According to the Robert Koch-Institut, a doctor judges how severe a condition is. The institute names both groups because their risk of severe illness is raised, and in care homes the vaccination is also meant to prevent outbreaks.

The committee does not recommend the RSV vaccination for people under 60. The vaccines are now also licensed for younger people at raised risk. The Robert Koch-Institut says the committee has not yet started evaluating the data on them.

The 2026 recommendation adds a third licensed vaccine. The committee does not recommend any one of the three over the others.

When the vaccination is given

The Robert Koch-Institut recommends September or early October, so that protection is in place when the season begins. The RSV season usually runs from October to March, and protection takes about 14 days to build up.

The institute recommends catching up on a missed vaccination during the season. Having it before the season starts makes sense but is not required.

According to the institute, the vaccination is given once. The committee states in its 2026 recommendation that the data so far cannot show whether a booster will be needed later.

What your health insurer pays

For both recommended groups, statutory health insurance pays for the RSV vaccination. Annex 1 of the Schutzimpfungs-Richtlinie lists it as a standard vaccination from 75 and, from 60, for the two groups above. The Gemeinsamer Bundesausschuss issues this directive under § 20i of the Fünftes Sozialgesetzbuch, Book V of the German Social Code.

Outside these groups you normally pay yourself, and each pharmacy sets its own price. Some health insurers pay for such vaccinations voluntarily, as a Satzungsleistung under their own rules.