Covid: Germany fears thousands got saline, not vaccine from nurse

12 August 2021

Authorities in north Germany have asked more than 8,000 people to get repeat Covid vaccinations because a nurse is suspected of having injected saline instead of vaccine in many cases.

Police are investigating the nurse's actions at a vaccination centre in Friesland, near the North Sea coast.

Initially just six people were believed to have received the harmless salt solution there in March and April.

Many of those affected were aged over 70 - a high-risk group in the pandemic.

Inspector Peter Beer, quoted by Süddeutsche Zeitung, said the 40-year-old woman had been sharing "corona-critical information" on social media, criticising the government's restrictions aimed at curbing the virus's spread.

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