Many of those who received a harmless saline solution were over 70 years old. Authorities in northern Germany have asked more than 8,000 people to be re-vaccinated against Covid-19. They suspect that many of those vaccinated were given a physiological solution by a nurse instead of the vaccine. Police are investigating the actions of a nurse at the vaccination center in Friesland, near the North Sea coast.
Many of those vaccinated with a saline solution were over 70 years of age – a high-risk group under pandemic conditions. According to inspector Peter Beer, quoted by the Süddeutsche Zeitung, a 40-year-old woman expressed skepticism about the coronavirus on social media and criticized government restrictions aimed at containing the pandemic. According to regional broadcaster NDR, 8,557 people have been asked to be revaccinated, and about 3,600 have already agreed to be revaccinated.
In April, the nurse admitted to administering a saline solution to six patients – she said she dropped the vaccine vial on the floor and didn’t want anyone to know. However, the police investigation revealed that many more people were given a saline solution instead of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine. The police do not rule out the possibility that the nurse was politically motivated, although her lawyers deny this and question the extent of the substitution. Police continue to question witnesses and no charges have been filed in the case.
There have already been numerous protests against vaccination in Germany, including by far-right groups that do not accept the official data on the course of the epidemic and the spread of the virus.