Scandal in Germany: anti-vaccine nurse changed water doses, thousands to be vaccinated again

Authorities in northern Germany on Tuesday issued a call for thousands of people to be vaccinated again against COVID-19, after a police investigation discovered that a Red Cross nurse may have injected them with saline.

Unidentified employee is suspected injected salt water solution in people’s arms instead of authentic doses in a vaccination center of Frieze -a rural district near the North Sea coast- in April.

“I am totally shocked by this episodeSven Ambrosy, a city councilor, said on Facebook when local authorities asked some 8,600 residents who may have been affected.

For the moment, it has only been confirmed that she had made a few exchanges, but it cannot be excluded that this was a widespread practice of women, so the thousands of citizens who were treated by the nurse between March 5 and April 20. “To be calm, we recommend that people get an additional vaccine,” Ambrosy added.

Although the saline solution is harmless, Most of the people who were vaccinated in Germany in March and April – when the alleged change occurred – are older people at high risk of contracting the disease, which increases the urgency to check if affected people are immune.

Police investigator Peter Beer said based on witness statements, there was “a reasonable suspicion of danger”.

It was not clear why the nurse, who was not named, but she had expressed skeptical views on vaccines in social media posts.the officers said. “Police investigations have shown that the person is motivated to oppose the vaccination,” said Claudia Schröder, deputy director of the Lower Saxony coronavirus team. However, the woman did not cooperate with the investigation, raising doubts as to the extent of her sabotage.

As they explained, he was able to change the vials because He was in charge of preparing the syringes at the vaccination center where he worked.

It was not clear whether the suspect had been arrested or charged in the case, which the broadcaster said Ed he was handed over to a special unit which investigates politically motivated crimes.

80% of people over 60 in Germany have received the full immunization schedule, but the German government considers that ideally more than 90% of this age cohort should be vaccinated and that immunization in the general population exceeds 75%, or twenty percentage points above the current level.

The Robert Koch Institute (RKI) of Virology on Wednesday reported 4,996 new cases in the previous 24 hours, consolidating the upward trend recorded for a month. In addition, he reported 14 deaths. Germany has thus accumulated 3,799,425 positives and 91,817 deaths.

Since Wednesday, Germany has focused its strategy against the pandemic on the unvaccinated due to the drop in the vaccination rate and the rebound in cases, which anticipate the fourth wave.

In the coming days, a series of measures will take effect, mainly vaccination incentives and restrictions for those who do not have the full schedule., approved by German Chancellor Angela Merkel and the heads of government of the 16 Länder.

Among the new measures is the state’s decision to stop paying for coronavirus tests for unvaccinated people from October 11, when they were so far free, which excludes those under 18 and people with medical contraindications.

(With information from Reuters and EFE)

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