Over 8000 residents in north Germany have been asked to repeat their COVID vaccination as an anti-vaxx nurse has been suspected of replacing vaccines with a saline solution. Police are now investigating the incident at a vaccination centre in Friesland, a rural district near the North Sea coast.
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Vaccinated by saline solution
According to the regional broadcaster NDR, around 8,557 people have been urged to redo their vaccination and 3,600 appointments have been confirmed so far. Sven Ambrosy, a local councillor posted on Facebook:
I am extremely shocked by this episode.
The district of Friesland will do everything necessary in its power to ensure that the concerned persons receive their vaccination protection as soon as possible.
Politically charged crime?
It is believed that a majority of the saline solutions were administered on people over the age of 70 during March and April. In a press conference covered by German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung, Inspector Peter Beer said that the Red Cross nurse had been sharing anti-vaccination sentiments on social media. She was also a harsh critic of the government’s measures to curb the spread of COVID. That, along with strong witness testimonies, gave the authorities enough reason to be suspicious of her activities.
In April, the same nurse had reportedly given six people the saline solution after dropping a Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine vial on the floor. Although she admitted to her crime, the police investigation uncovered that there were more than just six people affected.
Whether or not the nurse has been arrested is still unclear, however Mail Online has reported that a special unit that investigates politically-charged crimes has taken over the case.
