BERLIN – Almost 9,000 people in the municipality of Schortens in northern Germany could have received saline instead of a COVID-19 vaccine, the county of Friesland said on Tuesday.
At the end of April, it was revealed that an employee at a vaccination centre had filled at least six syringes with saline solution instead of the BioNTech/Pfizer vaccine, Xinhua said.
Further investigations by police suggested “that these are not isolated cases,” Friesland district administrator Sven Ambrosy said. “Unfortunately, we have to consider the possibility that many more people are affected.”
Police said that the suspect, who was subsequently dismissed, had shared conspiracy content on social media, and openly criticised measures taken by the government to tackle COVID-19.
“In this unclear situation, it is important that all those who may have been affected are offered catch-up vaccinations in a timely manner,” said Matthias Pulz, president of the Lower Saxony State Health Office. “This is the only way to safely ensure complete vaccination protection.”
As of Tuesday, more than 45.8 million people in Germany were fully vaccinated, bringing the country’s vaccination rate to 55.1 per cent, according to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), the federal government agency for disease control and prevention.
Charged for tests
Germany in a related development, will no longer offer free COVID-19 tests for unvaccinated people, Chancellor Angela Merkel said Tuesday.
“As we are now in a position to offer vaccination for the entire population in Germany, we would be ending free tests on Oct 11,” Merkel said at a news conference in Berlin, following a videoconference meeting with premiers of federal states.
Merkel urged Germans to get vaccinated amid a rise in new infections and said authorities may soon require proof of vaccination, recovery or negative test for visiting enclosed spaces, like hospitals, restaurants or fitness studios, if the seven-day incidence rate rises above 35 per 100,000 population.
According to conclusions of the meeting, after Oct 11, those who have decided against vaccination would have to pay for tests.
Free testing will be offered only to those who cannot get the vaccine because of health conditions as well as to pregnant women, children and people under the age of 18.
In most federal states, testing is currently required to attend large-scale business, culture or sports events.
In some cities, it is also required to visit museums, movie theatres or concert halls.
City governments can also impose stricter rules if infections rise and can require testing for customers at indoor restaurants, bars and cafes, unless patrons can show proof of vaccination.
