Police in Germany fear thousands got saline, not COVID-19 vaccine from nurse

Authorities in north Germany have asked more than 8,000 people to get repeat COVID-19 vaccinations because a nurse is suspected of having injected saline instead of the vaccine in many cases.

Saline is a mixture of sodium chloride or salt and water and it is used to clean wounds, clear sinuses and treat dehydration.

BBC News reports 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.

In April the nurse had admitted giving saline to six people to cover up the fact that she had dropped a vaccine vial on the floor.

But as the police investigation unfolded it became clear that many more people had been given saline instead of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine.

Police are not ruling out that a political motive could have prompted the nurse's action, though her lawyers have rejected that and they also dispute the reported scale of the saline swap.

[Source: BBC]