Unlike in South Africa, Germany doesn’t have a central database for logging COVID-19 vaccines, which is how a man was able to receive around 90 jabs so he could use the real batch numbers on fake certificates to sell to anti-vaxxers.
The man, in his 60s, got genuine vaccine batch numbers that could be put on fake vaccine certificates, according to Business Insider.
Freie Presse reports that he apparently visited vaccine centres around eastern Germany and was vaccinated up to three times a day, receiving 87 vaccines in the state of Saxony alone.
He is now under investigation for “issuing vaccination cards without authorisation and document forgery” but has not been detained, reports The Associated Press.
According to reports, each time he entered a vaccination site, he would present a blank vaccination card. After the jab, he would remove the page with the batch number and sell it to people who didn’t want a vaccine themselves.
About 75% of Germans are fully vaccinated and 58% have had a booster, but some states have struggled to get shots in arms. In Saxony, 64.5% are fully vaccinated.
Some unvaccinated people have turned to fake COVID-19 passports so they can access restaurants and workplaces more easily, reports AP. Saxony has now lifted most restrictions, with the exception of some mask-wearing rules.
According to news agency DPA, the man was nabbed after pitching up at a vaccine centre for the second day in a row. One of the staff recognised and reported him.
He had been using his real name and birthdate for the multiple vaccine appointments, but didn’t present his health insurance card. There’s no central database for logging vaccines in the country.
It’s not clear if the vaccines, from multiple brands, have affected his health, reports DPA, but the total number of jabs he received is expected to be higher than 87.
Associated Press article – Man in Germany gets 90 COVID-19 shots to sell forged passes (Open access)
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