FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Please see below the frequently asked questions about the vaccination village. The questions relate to

Where available, read the answer. For a few questions, we are still waiting for information. As soon as we have that information, we will add the answers.

For frequently asked questions about other aspects of the vaccination, please go to https://www.Antwerp.be/vaccineren and www.laatjevaccineren.be.

Invitation

  • The start of the vaccinations depends on the supply of vaccines. According to the current planning, vaccinations for those over 65 will start in the week commencing 22nd or 29th March.
  • The government will invite you when it is your turn, and then you can make an appointment.
  • Not everybody will get the vaccine at the same time.
  • Some groups will get the vaccine before others on the basis of scientific advice: inhabitants of care homes, care workers, the elderly and people suffering from chronic diseases. After that, the wider population will get their turn.
  • No, that is not possible. All COVID-19 vaccines in Belgium are safe and effective.
  • The government has decided that you cannot change the vaccine once it has been allocated to you.

All children 12 years and older are invited. As a 12- to 15-year-old, you need a consent from your parent(s) or guardian to be vaccinated.

Come with your parent(s) or guardian to the vaccination center. If your parent(s) or guardian really can’t come, you may only come with a letter signed by your parent(s) or guardian. This letter must contain the following elements:

  1. name, surname and date of birth of the young person;
  2. surname, first name, contact information and signature of a parent or guardian;
  3. date of signature;
  4. an explicit statement “I wish to have my child vaccinated against COVID-19 at the vaccination center.

Download a sample letter you can use for this here.

All invitations for vaccinations are sent by mail. However, this can sometimes take up to more than 2 weeks to receive the final invitations at home.

Online (go to www.myhealthviewer.be) you can already find the activation code for your child and book an appointment faster. Attention: this is only possible for minors. From 18 years onwards, your child must log in with his or her own ID card.

  • There is a list of health conditions following the advice of the Belgian Health Council regarding the setting priorities for vaccination of subgroups of patients younger than 65.
  • This advice is based on Belgian and international studies that examined which people with underlying health conditions have a greater risk of being admitted to hospital or death if they were to get infected with COVID-19. Some health conditions have to present at a particular stage.
  • From 8th April onwards, you can go to www.myhealthviewer.be and check for yourself if you are on the list of people who need to be vaccinated as a priority due to a medical condition.

Reserve list

  • Inhabitants of Antwerp, Borsbeek, Schoten, Stabroek and Wommelgem are free to choose the time of their appointment themselves. That means that practically everybody shows up for their vaccination, and there are very few leftover jabs.
  • But if that were to happen, we will contact the people who are on the list of groups that need to be vaccinated as a priority. In that case, we follow the order set by the Flemish government.

Appointment

Making a vaccination appointment

  • The government will invite you as soon as it’s your turn. Please see below for concrete details. Please see below for concrete details.
    You can read more information about the government’s vaccination plan here.
  • Please note: you cannot get vaccinated at the vaccination village without an invite from the government.
  • The vaccination campaign for people over 65 will probably start in the week commencing 22nd or 29th March. The government will send you a letter and email or text message with further explanations. You can expect to receive that information two weeks before your vaccination.
  • You will only receive that email or text message if your health insurance fund has those details for you.
  • You can make an appointment for your vaccination here using the link in your invite. Without an appointment, you will not get a vaccination.
  • The e-ticket contained in the email you receive after booking your appointment is your entrance ticket to the vaccination village. You can print it or bring it on your smartphone.
  • The code in the invite is valid for 30 days. You have to book your appointment before the date mentioned.
  • If your code has expired, you will receive a new invite in a couple of months’ time. That will allow you to make a new appointment.
  • The local corona information helpline can help you, you can ring them on 03 435 95 55.
  • This depends on your vaccine and the policy set by the taskforce. This will be calculated automatically when booking your appointment.
  • You will not need to do this: the appointment for your second jab will be set when you make the appointment for your first vaccination.
  • You use the code in the invite to book your first appointment. The system will immediately reserve the date for the second dose of your vaccine.
  • The e-ticket you receive after booking is valid for both appointments. Keep track of this.
  • If you are booking online, you each choose the time of your appointment separately.
  • It will depend on how busy the village is and how many available places they have whether you and your partner can have the vaccination at the same time.
  • If you passed on your email address when you were on the telephone, you will receive an e-ticket by email. This e-ticket is proof of your appointment. You can print it or save it on your smartphone.
  • Present your e-ticket together with your ID card when you get to the vaccination village.
  • If you were able to book your appointments (online or via the call centre), you can go to the vaccination village on that day/those days.
  • You can ask the helpdesk for a print-out of your e-ticket. You will need your ID card for this.
  • Do not worry: the vaccination appointments are flying off the shelves. As the demand for appointments is greater than the supply, everything gets booked up very quickly.
  • Your code for making an appointment will remain valid for 30 days. As soon as new vaccines arrive, you can try making an appointment again.
  • We will inform you on a daily basis whether new vaccines are available.
  • These physical corona helpdesks can help you make your appointment. Make sure to bring this invite and you ID card.
  • Vaccinations are free for everybody. So, do not transfer any money for them, and do not share your bank details.
  • People with bad intentions are sending out fake invites. Please see below some tips for recognising fake invites.
    • You will always receive a personal invite in the post. Be careful when you only receive a text message or email.
    • Only the regional authorities (Flanders, Wallonia and Brussels) send out invites. So, invites from vaccine producers, for instance, are fake.
    • The invite will be addressed to your name.
    • Emails will always be sent from address noreply@doclr.be.
      Reminders from noreply@vaccovid.be
    • More information: https://www.laatjevaccineren.be/wie-waar-en-wanneer/you-invite
  • There are more tips for recognising fake invites on https://safeonweb.be/.
  • Have you received a fake or suspect message? Please forward it to verdacht@safeonweb.be.

Get in touch with an allergist who will make an appointment with the vaccination centre.

Cancelling, changing or transferring appointments

  • If you have already made an appointment and you change your mind, we would ask that you cancel that appointment. That will allow us to allocate the freed-up appointment at the vaccination village to somebody else.
  • The email confirming your appointment contains a link you can use if you want to cancel your appointment. You can also indicate that you do not wish to be vaccinated.
  • You can move your first appointment but you will first have to cancel your existing appointment. The email confirming your appointment contains a link you can use to cancel your appointment.
  • Subsequently, you will receive an email with a code for a new appointment. You can use that code for making a new appointment.
  • Please note: when you cancel your first vaccination date, the date of your second vaccination will automatically expire.
  • It is important that you wait the exact number of weeks after your first dose before getting your second vaccination.
  • Once you have been given your first dose, you cannot amend the date of the second vaccination anymore.
  • If you are unable to attend your appointment, you have to cancel it. The email confirming your appointment contains a link you can use to cancel your appointment.
  • Then you can make a new appointment.
  • Are you struggling with the cancellation? Then you can ring the local call centre. You can find the number in the invite.
  • If you are ill, you should not get vaccinated
  • Cancel your appointment and make a new one. The email confirming your appointment contains a link you can use to cancel or amend your appointment.
  • A reservation is strictly personal. You are not allowed to use somebody else’s appointment.
  • You are not allowed to pass on an appointment.

Forgot appointment / lost e-ticket

  • The dates of your appointments are on your e-ticket.
  • That is not possible. First, you will have to make a new appointment.
  • If you had an appointment and do not have your e-ticket anymore, go to the helpdesk in the vaccination village.
  • You will be given your new e-ticket when you present your ID card.

Address (Change of Address)

If you have any questions about your address or change of address, please go to the City of Antwerp website.

VACCINATION VILLAGE

Location

  • Vaccinating hundreds of thousands of people is a very complex logistical operation. That is why the City of Antwerp has decided to centralise its efforts in one location. That way we can guarantee that the vaccines are stored in proper conditions, well-secured and that the population can be vaccinated smoothly.
  • You can only get the vaccination at the location in your invite. That is where the vaccine has been reserved for you.
  • Ring the information hotline (03 435 95 55). We will examine together if there are any adapted transport solutions to help you get to Spoor Oost.
  • If you are less mobile and you do not have anybody who can help you get to the vaccination village, you can go to one of the 36 temporary vaccination sites.
  • You can make an appointment by ringing the information hotline (03 435 95 55), or through your GP after you have received your invite.
  • First, we will examine together if there are any special transport solutions for getting you to Spoor Oost. In that case, you will not have to wait until you can get vaccinated in your area.
  • If you can really not leave your home for medical reasons, you can be vaccinated at home at a later stage

En route to the vaccination village

  • Do go to the vaccination centre. The helpdesk can check if you can still be vaccinated that day. If it is not possible, you will have to make a new appointment.

In the vaccination village

  • Report to the vaccination village with a different proof of your identity: your driving licence, passport, foreigner identity card or an immatriculation certificate (orange card).

    Also make sure you have your national registration number and e-ticket to hand.

  • You are entitled to bring a caregiver, helper or interpreter to the vaccination village. That person is allowed to accompany you through all the steps of the vaccination process.
  • If you need specific assistance, you can notify the local call centre about this beforehand. The number is in your invite.
  • At the vaccination centre, you can ask a steward for help.
  • You are allocated a window of 10 minutes, and we will expect to see you within that window. The capacity of the vaccination village is adjusted to that timing.
  • Please arrive on time: if you arrive late, there is a possibility that we cannot vaccinate you anymore and that you have to make a new appointment.
  • At check-out, you will receive a ticket stating which vaccine has been administered to you. You can look it up on www.mijngezondheid.be.
  • At the check-out desk, you will get a ticket stating which vaccine was administered to you and the time when you are allowed to leave the vaccination village.
  • You can use that ticket as proof of vaccination for your employer.

Vaccination

  • After you receive your invite, you will have time to react.
  • If you have not made an appointment after 30 days, your code will expire. In that case, you will receive a new invite. This could take several months.
  • Make sure to tell us that you do not want the vaccine. That way, we can help somebody else by giving them your vaccine.
  • Use the link in your invite, enter your vaccination code and register your wish to not be contacted anymore.
  • No, that is not possible. You can only use the code to make an appointment for the vaccination village at Spoor Oost. That is the only place that has a vaccine available for you.
  • Definitely let us know if you have already been vaccinated. That way, we can give your vaccine to somebody else.
  • Use the link in your invite, enter your vaccination code and indicate that you have already been vaccinated.
  • The vaccination is free. The government pays for it.

Travel

From July 1, you can travel within Europe more easily thanks to the personal COVID certificate.

If you have been vaccinated, recently had a negative COVID test or have recovered from a positive COVID test, you will be able to use the certificate to show that you are ‘COVID safe’ for travel.

More info about the app and COVID certificates can be found at:

– https://www.vlaanderen.be/covid-certificaat

– Vaccinatiecertificaat COVID-19 – Laat je vaccineren

For more info on travel, please visit https://reopen.europa.eu/en

On the website of the City of Antwerp you can also find more information about corona testing.