Vaccination breakdown in Germany: expired doses of Biontech and Moderna have been administered in several cities.
This message could be a real shock for thousands of people in Germany. As has now become known, several expired Biontech doses have been administered in vaccination centers. A serious vaccination breakdown. But what do those affected need to know now? Experts question its effectiveness. Most recently, echo24.de * reported on the vaccination protection of the individual vaccines*.
As the German Press Agency (dpa) writes, between January 4 and 6, 2022, 1,800 people received expired doses of the Biontech vaccine in a vaccination center in Ebersberg (Upper Bavaria). The managing director of the operating company Tresec, Liam Klages, confirmed the incident to the dpa on request.
Vaccination failure in Germany: more than 4,000 people affected
Not the only vaccination center that made such a mistake. The Berliner Morgenpost writes in an article about a total of 4,000 people who were injected with expired vaccines. In Cologne, almost 2,000 people were vaccinated with expired Moderna doses at the turn of the year. In all cases, the relevant health ministries speak of “human error”.
Only on Wednesday, January 12, 2022, did it become known that in Ingolstadt at the beginning of the year 201 cases had to be added to the nationwide vaccination breakdown. According to a dpa report, the city has already announced that the people who were vaccinated there with Biontech on the days mentioned have already been contacted.
Expired vaccine: differing opinions on effectiveness
In a report by Bayerischer Rundfunk on the incidents in Bavaria, a vaccination expert from the Rechts der Isar Clinic in Munich explained that there were no health consequences and that the vaccination protection remained in place. The vaccine therefore does not lose its effectiveness immediately when its shelf life expires.
Paul Ehrlich Institute
According to its own information, the Paul Ehrlich Institute (PEI), Federal Institute for Vaccines and Biomedical Drugs, is responsible for the following drugs for humans and animals. For allergens, advanced therapy medicinal products and vaccines, among others. Also for immunological veterinary medicinal products such as sera, vaccines and immunomodulators. The PEI is also responsible, for example, for approving clinical trials of medicinal products for human use, for drug safety, for advising national, European and international bodies on risk assessment and the development of guidelines, and for research in the fields of allergology and bacteriology , biotechnology, immunology, hematology, transfusion medicine, veterinary medicine and virology.
And the Paul Ehrlich Institute (PEI) is also giving the all-clear. The experts do not assume that the expired vaccines pose a health risk. However, the Institute is much more critical of the still existing effectiveness. One cannot fully assume that the vaccines will not “loss in effectiveness” after they have expired and been stored differently from the regulations. However, the PEI also rules out a loss of the complete effect.
When it comes to the problem of storage, things could look a lot better with the new Novavax* vaccine. In a comparison with Biontech*, the vaccine from the US manufacturer performed better.
Vaccinated with expired vaccine: you should know that by now
A report by the Berliner Morgenpost also contains the recommendation of the Paul Ehrlich Institute for the people concerned. In the case of first vaccinations with an expired vaccine, a second vaccination should compensate for the loss of effectiveness. In the case of a second vaccination with an expired vaccine, you should go for a booster after three months.
According to the report, those who have received their “booster vaccination with the expired vaccine should be vaccinated a fourth time – no earlier than four weeks and no later than three months after the third vaccination” .
This is how the cities are reacting to the vaccination breakdown
In response to the vaccination glitch, the city of Cologne has already stated that the relevant people would have been given the prospect of a renewed vaccination offer. In Upper Bavaria, those affected can have their antibody count determined free of charge and, if in doubt, be vaccinated again. *echo24.de is an offer from IPPEN.MEDIA.
