Virus World

Red Cross nurse Antje T, 39, (pictured in court) jabbed thousands of patients at a vaccine centre in Germany with saline instead of the BioNTech Pfizer vaccine. An anti-vaxxer nurse who injected up to 8,600 elderly people with saline solution instead of a Covid-19 vaccine has walked free from court. Red Cross nurse Antje T, 39, jabbed thousands of elderly patients at a vaccine centre in Germany with what she told them was the BioNTech Pfizer vaccine but was just a saltwater solution. The nurse, who administered the fake vaccines at the Schortens jab centre in Friesland, northwest Germany, was given just six months on probation. She was found guilty of six counts of intentional assault by Oldenburg District Court, Lower Saxony state, on November 30. Antje T jabbed up to 8,600 patients who were mainly hospital employees, educators and doctors above the age of 70 between March 5 and April 2021, leaving them with no protection against the deadly virus. Police told the court that she was able to introduce the saline solution undetected, because she was in charge of vaccine and syringe preparation during her shift at the vaccination centre. But after more than a month she was reported by another employee who saw her use the saline solution instead of the vaccine on six patients on April 21, 2021.

The 39-year-old had additionally posted several social media posts where she openly emphasized her skeptical views regarding COVID-19 vaccines. When questioned by police, she admitted to using saline solution but had said she only did it because she had accidentally broken a vial containing six shots and was ashamed to tell her colleagues. She had also claimed that it was a one-time incident, but was immediately sacked after antibody tests that were carried out on the affected people confirmed authorities' suspicions. In addition, Antje T's licence to work as a nurse has been revoked, media reported. Following the incident, state authorities urged the fraud victims to register for revaccination and emphasised that it is completely safe. Antje T in turn was initially charged with 15 counts of intentional assault at the beginning of the trial in November 2022, but nine of them were dropped due to no evidence. Court spokesperson Torben Toelle said that the prosecutor found evidence that six syringes were changed for saline, leading to the charges, but that they expect this was done to many more. During the trial on November 30, the shamed nurse apologised in court. Concerning the defendant's anti-vaxxer posts on social media, Toelle added: 'The accused had shared various conspiracy theories on the Internet and on social media. 'However, the chamber could not determine with the necessary certainty that this set of ideas was the motive for her actions and that she then acted to sabotage a vaccination campaign.' The verdict can reportedly be appealed within a week.

23 April — A care-home COVID outbreak shows a vaccine’s powers

In a real-world test, an mRNA-based vaccine protected care-home residents and staff against a new SARS-CoV-2 variant. On 1 March, an unvaccinated health-care worker at a Kentucky care home tested positive for SARS-CoV-2. At that time, 90% of the home’s residents and 53% of its health-care workers had received their second dose of the Pfizer–BioNTech vaccine; the vast majority had received their second shot more than 2 weeks before the worker’s infection was identified. Alyson Cavanaugh at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and her colleagues report that 46 of the 199 people at the care home were infected during the outbreak. (A. M. Cavanaugh et al. Morb. Mortal. Wkly Rep. https://doi.org/f732; 2021). The researchers estimate that the vaccine was 86.5% and 87.1% effective at preventing COVID-19 among residents and staff, respectively, who were more than 2 weeks past their second dose. The shots were even more effective at preventing hospitalization, although one vaccinated resident died. Genome sequencing of samples from 27 individuals identified a variant circulating during the outbreak known as R.1, which contains mutations that have been linked to increased transmissibility and immune evasion.

Findings Published in MMWR (April 21, 2021):

http://dx.doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm7017e2