Karl Lauterbach, German Minister of Health, returned to his remarks concerning the potential side effects of the anti-Covid vaccination, and their seriousness. The Berliner Zeitung noted the shift, which comes after the country’s scientists spoke out.
Awareness of the German Minister of Health
The video, posted on Karl Lauterbach’s Twitter account, caused a stir. It begins without further explanation with these words: “In very rare cases, corresponding side effects may occur after corona vaccination.” Until now, the minister had repeated several times that the anti-Covid vaccines were “without side effects”.
can after #Corona-Vaccination #side effects appear? What is that #PostVacSyndrom? And what can those affected do? talk about it @Karl_Lauterbach in the new episode #KarlText. Here is more information on side effects: https://t.co/EgF1g37dTc pic.twitter.com/nW6LS0ADma
— BMG (@BMG_Bund) June 16, 2022
In August 2021, Karl Lauterbach had questioned on Twitter: “Why a minority of society does not want a vaccine without side effects, when it is free and can save their lives and those of many others? .” In the program “Anne Will”, he assured that the message had to be passed on: “Vaccines are more or less without side effects. Even for children, especially with the Moderna vaccine, the minister had no doubts. As for those who don’t believe in it, they are the victims of “shabby disinformation”. “If there had been side effects, we would have noticed it”, he said again in November 2021. Precisely, others than him noticed it.
In February 2022, it was one of the largest German insurers that pulverized official reports. Then in April, it was a symposium of scientists who tackled vaccination. Finally last May, a German study revealed that “eight out of 1,000 vaccinated suffer from serious side effects”.
See also: Explosion of side effects following Covid vaccination in the United States
On this subject, the virologist Klaus Stöhr had severely criticized the statements of Karl Lauterbach. “A doctor who says such a thing should not have approval. Every drug has a side effect”, he hammered in a BILD media talk show. And to continue: “For someone who communicates as a federal minister, I was hoping for more firmness, a sense of responsibility, strategy, long-term thinking and better preparation.”
“Very serious side effects”
The just-released video, in which Karl Lauterbach acknowledges that there are “very serious side effects” (fatal in “very rare cases”), continues to be hotly debated online. Proponents and opponents of vaccination quote the minister at will, sometimes incompletely, and interpret his statements very differently.
Here is a translation of the full text of Karl Lauterbach’s statements:
Can side effects occur after Covid vaccination?
Overall, these side effects are very rare, especially serious side effects. There is no vaccination that has been as well studied in terms of side effects as the Covid vaccines.
What is the risk of dying from vaccination?
The risk of dying from vaccination is very low. There are very serious side effects that sometimes occur, such as cerebral thrombosis, which can be fatal, but it is very rare. Fewer than one in 25,000 people develop complications. The risk of dying from Covid is much, much, much higher.
What is post-vac syndrome?
Post-vac syndrome is the syndrome where after vaccination people cannot concentrate as well as before, or where side effects occur. As in the case of post-Covid. But rarer, much rarer and less serious. However, it is not comparable to the severity of post-Covid disease.
What should I do if I notice any side effects or post-vac syndrome after vaccination?
If you really think you have such symptoms, you should consult your family doctor, who will forward your complaints to the Paul-Ehrlich Institute so that we can get an overview. In addition, the treatment will be discussed with the doctor.
What does the policy do to monitor side effects and, if so, warn about them?
If there were any side effects, like in the case of AstraZeneca, when we saw this sinusoidal thrombosis, we told the doctors about it. We then changed the concept of vaccination, so that it was no longer used for people for whom the vaccine posed a risk. Today, we no longer use this vaccination. If we see a problem with the vaccination, we solve it and adapt the vaccination. Vaccines that are not good will no longer be used.
The seriousness of side effects still underestimated?
About this “post-vac syndrome”, Professor Bernhard Schieffer, director of the Clinic for Cardiology, Angiology and Intensive Internal Medicine at the University Hospital of Marburg, gave the voice. He who takes care of patients with this syndrome in a special ambulance, commented on the words of Karl Lauterbach: “Unfortunately, your comments on the severity of the post-vac, which should be less than that of the long Covid, do not correspond to our clinical experience. I advise you to make such statements with caution, as people with all pathologies will be offended.”
In France, our Minister of Health has never publicly acknowledged the presence of serious side effects. It took a Senate committee on the adverse effects of the vaccine to make the debate public. While Austria, a neighbor of Germany, has just put away compulsory vaccination, can we on our side hope for a future awareness?