It's well before midday but chemical technician trainer Ralf Scharf is already heading to the company canteen. And lunch is the last thing on his mind.

He's here to get a Covid-19 jab, as his German employer Evonik Industries joins a push to ramp up the country's immunisation drive by including company doctors in the effort.

“You can get vaccinated without hardly any waiting time, it's great,” Scharf, 58, told Iafter making the short walk from his work station to the dining area.

The usual tables have been removed to make way for rows of small booths manned by medical staff. Each section is dedicated to a different step in the process, from signing consent forms and getting a pre-jab consultation to the actual injection and recovery room.