Nurse secretly injects saline solution instead of vaccines

She wanted to cover up the fact that she had dropped a vial of Pfizer-BioNTech's COVID-19 vaccine. In Germany, a nurse was under investigation on Sunday 25 April after she concealed her mistake by injecting saline solution instead of serum into six patients who passed through the German Red Cross vaccination centre in Friesland (northern Germany) last Wednesday.

The health professional then fessed up to her act, admitting that the reason for her actions were to 'avoid having to warn anyone about the broken vial,' as indicated by the police in a public statement.

200 vaccinated people hastily recalled

After learning of the incident, the authorities asked the 200 people who came to the centre on Wednesday 21 April to come back urgently so that they could be tested for antibodies. These tests should make it possible to isolate the six people who received the 'false vaccine.' The authorities have set up a hotline for those vaccinated today to come forward.

Although the saline solution poses no health risk, the police in Wilhelmshaven/Friesland said in a statement that they had opened an investigation into possible injuries caused by the nurse. It is common for the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine to be diluted with saline before being injected.

'To avoid having to warn anyone'

In charge of preparing the injections, the nurse had dropped a bottle of serum, before admitting later to a colleague that she had used a saline solution instead. The colleague raised the alarm on Saturday. The police statement said:

The woman stated that the reason for her action was to avoid having to warn anyone about the broken vial.

This is not an isolated event, since 140 people vaccinated last Tuesday in a centre in Épernay (France) received saline solution instead of the vaccine. New appointments have been opened for the patients concerned.