In the German Democratic Republic (GDR), a tightly organised vaccination system was established in the 1950s and 1960s. In this context, the medical effort to stop the spread of infectious diseases in the post-war period was coupled with the political will to present itself as a responsible preventive state. Based on unpublished archival material, we will shed light on the everyday practice of vaccination in the early GDR. We can show that the vaccination targets were difficult to achieve due to material shortages, personnel shortages and a lack of foreign currency. Often, the politically set norms had to be adapted to everyday realities and pragmatic solutions had to be found. Strategies for dealing with scarce vaccination resources included delegating vaccinations to non-medical personnel and using intradermal application to save vaccine. Vaccination fatigue in the population was also an issue for the health authorities in the GDR. To achieve high vaccination rates, the GDR Ministry of Health introduced performance comparisons at the district and county level. In addition, admission to daycare centres and holiday camps was made contingent upon the presentation of the relevant vaccination certificates. Further sanctions, such as fines, were rarely imposed.