The corona vaccination was a milestone in the fight against the pandemic.
But there are also cases in which the injection has made people ill in the first place.
Munich – The excerpt is a good year old and is currently being shared thousands of times on social media.
Federal Minister of Health Karl Lauterbach (SPD) can be seen speaking on Anne Will's ARD talk show that the vaccinations against the corona virus are "more or less free of side effects".
But "more or less" does not mean completely.
It's about heart problems, brain dysfunction but also about scars, incontinence, paralysis and even death in some cases.
According to an “SZ” report, 6,682 people in Germany have applied to the responsible authorities for recognition of vaccination damage after a corona vaccination.
Nationwide, 285 applications have now been approved and 2075 applications rejected.
Corona virus: People demand care after vaccination damage
Most of the applications submitted come from Bavaria.
In the Free State alone, from the start of the corona vaccinations to the beginning of the week, a total of 1,629 people applied for care due to vaccination damage, the responsible Bavarian family and social center informed our newspaper.
A decision has already been made in 776 of these cases.
"A total of 79 applications were approved, 673 rejected and 24 withdrawn, 853 procedures are open," writes the authority.
At Christmas there were still 55 recognized cases in the Free State.
The fact that the numbers are rising with a time lag is due not only to the duration of the procedures but also to the requirements for recognition.
Because in order to be officially considered vaccine damage, symptoms must first last at least six months - and the doctor must recognize them as possible side effects of the vaccine.
Corona virus: Lauterbach defends vaccination – “Benefits outweigh”
But it is also important to put the numbers in perspective: nationwide, around 64 million people have been vaccinated against the corona virus at least once - more than 192 million injections have been administered.
According to data from the Paul Ehrlich Institute, it can be concluded that severe vaccination damage after a corona vaccination is less than 1:10,000, says Lauterbach.
So it's not like "that's so common".
It is also about a vaccination that protects against very serious illness.
The SPD politician sticks to it: "The benefit outweighs that."
The minister promises help to those in whose case the damage clearly outweighs the damage.
He will set up a program in which the consequences of Long Covid and vaccine damage would be examined and the care of those affected would be improved.
He is currently in budget negotiations for this.
Corona vaccine damage: Those affected go to court
Some of those affected have also decided to take the vaccine manufacturer to court.
A civil trial against Biontech was originally supposed to start yesterday in Frankfurt - but the start was postponed to April 28th.
The claim for damages from a plaintiff who claims to have suffered heart damage as a result of the Covid 19 vaccination will then be negotiated.
A similar lawsuit is pending at the Frankenthal district court in the Palatinate at the end of March.
The plaintiff claims that a bilateral pulmonary artery embolism occurred after the vaccination and is demanding damages and compensation for pain and suffering.
The trial of a man's lawsuit against Astra-Zeneca has been running since September.
However, the vaccine manufacturers do not have much to fear.
In the contracts they signed with the EU during the pandemic, they have largely secured themselves against possible liability – so the EU governments should therefore be responsible for claims for damages.
Lauterbach still thinks that one can expect a financial contribution from the pharmaceutical companies - "because the profits were exorbitant".
(Sebastian Horsch)
