The official German government data shows that more than 330,000 people in Germany have reported damage from Covid-19 vaccines, and many of them, including young people, suffered serious side effects. Now, controversial Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD), known for his aggressive promotion of mass vaccination and draconian lockdown policies, acknowledges the occurrence of serious side effects even after denying they existed at all in the summer of 2021.
“That’s right: 1 in 10,000. That is the frequency of serious side effects,” Lauterbach said in an interview with public service broadcaster ZDF’s “Today Journal” on Sunday.
“These fates are absolutely disturbing. To be honest, I feel very sorry for the people. Some of the vaccine damage is likely permanent. However, the drugs for treating ‘post-vac’ are not yet available and the health insurance companies’ claims for coverage are very limited. So I understand the people who complain,” he said.
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However, Lauterbach was immediately questioned about a claim he made in a tweet in 2021, where he said that vaccination was “free of side effects.” Lauterbach grew evasive, saying, “That was an exaggeration I once made in an unfortunate tweet.”
Lauterbach is known for his stance pushing mass vaccination during the pandemic, but the health minister stated during his interview last week that he did not see any failure on the part of the Ministry of Health. He also stated that severe side effects are rare.
“So, that no false impression sticks: Severe vaccination damage, based on data from the Paul Ehrlich Institute or the European licensing authority, is on the order of less than 1 in 10,000 vaccinations. So it’s not that vaccine damage is that common,” said the health minister.
German users on social media were quick to criticize Lauterbach, with professor Stefan Homburg referencing a Weltwoche article in his post: “Pharma, authorities and Lauterbach knew it beforehand: heart damage in children, thrombosis, cerebral hemorrhage, damage to reproductive ability. After Pfizer was sued, the public now has the evidence.
Homburg, who works at the University of Hanover, continued by writing, “Yesterday, Karl Lauterbach confirmed in an interview that he was ‘all aware’ of the registered vaccination damage. Nevertheless, he denied them and even wanted to push through a general obligation to vaccinate.”
Recently, Welt newspaper highlighted the cases of some of those people severely affected by Covid-19 vaccines who are now organizing together to sue vaccine manufacturers, seen as a difficult task given legal protections these manufacturers enjoy. Many of those affected, such as 20-year-old Alina Adams, were perfectly healthy before her Covid-19 vaccine booster. Adams became ill a day after taking the vaccine, is now mostly confined to a wheelchair, and has been diagnosed with “post-vac syndrome.”
Professor Homburg also challenged the official figures from Lauterbach, which he put at one severe case in 10,000.
“At 1:10,000 Lauterbach downplays the risk of serious vaccine damage. His own ministry assumes 1:5,000 without unreported cases, which makes 1:1,250 with four doses,” wrote Homburg.
There are now calls for vaccine manufacturers to shoulder some of the financial burden seen among those who suffered severe side effects.
Lauterbach said during Sunday’s interview that he is calling for pharmaceutical companies to share in any compensation payments. “The profits of the pharmaceutical companies have been exorbitant, so that would be more than just a good gesture,” he said.
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The Paul Ehrlich Institute has been notified of 333,492 suspected cases of adverse reactions and 50,833 suspected cases of severe adverse reactions “after basic immunization plus booster vaccinations” through December 2022. Although doctors are required to report cases, many have complained about an extraordinary amount of paperwork associated with such filings and no compensation for the time required to fill it out, which leaves them with a disincentive to report on the issue.
Severe side effects associated with Covid-19 vaccines include paralysis, heart inflammation and neurological damage.
