Tyrol struggles to meet demand for free shingles vaccine

Tyrol is facing shortages of shingles vaccine, with demand exceeding immediately available supplies, ORF reports. The vaccination has been free for people aged 60 and over and for risk groups for about a year, but doctors say they cannot keep up with demand.

Many people seeking the vaccine are being told they face long waits. A family practice in Wörgl has about 150 people on its waiting list, according to family doctor Marco Schönberger. He said nine out of 10 people had to be told that the practice could not offer them the vaccination.

The shortages are also causing frustration in doctors’ practices, particularly over the online ordering process. Schönberger compared it to a lottery for tickets to a superstar’s concert, saying that anyone who was not online and refreshing the page at the exact right time had no chance. In the latest ordering round, all available vaccine doses were gone within three minutes.

“Whoever clicks first gets vaccinated first,” Schönberger said.

The Tyrolean Medical Chamber confirmed that the shortage was causing problems in many places. It is calling for more funding to secure additional vaccine doses and meet demand.

Ministry says demand exceeds supply

The Ministry of Social Affairs and Health acknowledged that demand currently exceeds supply. It said it was continuously purchasing new doses and coordinating their distribution. People seeking the vaccine could also contact some district authorities or Innsbruck city administration offices, where appointments could provide quick access to the vaccination.

A spokesperson for Social Affairs State Secretary Ulrike Königsberger-Ludwig said the criticism was not entirely understandable. Every two weeks, representatives of the federal states and the Medical Chamber meet to discuss, among other issues, vaccine supplies under the public vaccination programme.

For larger deliveries, each vaccinating facility initially receives a guaranteed allocation, the spokesperson said. Facilities that do not receive doses can join an information list and will be notified about further ordering opportunities.

The spokesperson also said the vaccine had to be purchased on the international market, where production capacity was limited and not always available. The next quantities would therefore be supplied in stages according to international availability.

The ministry said almost 900,000 doses of shingles vaccine had been made available since the public vaccination programme began. As of August 25, 2026, about 633,250 vaccinations had been recorded in vaccination records. Hundreds of thousands more doses were being prepared for the next six months.

“There can therefore be no question of too little vaccine having been ordered,” the ministry said. “What is true, however, is that demand is currently higher than the quantities immediately available.”

Innsbruck says doses remain available

Innsbruck city authorities said sufficient stocks from an earlier delivery were still available. The vaccination is free for everyone aged 60 and over at the city’s vaccination centre at Fallmerayerstraße 5, provided an appointment is booked in advance.

Appointments can be booked online at www.innsbruck.gv.at/impftermin or by telephone on +43 512 5360 8377.