German Man Receives 217 Covid-19 Vaccine Shots, Defying National Recommendations
One German man has made headlines for his extraordinary vaccination journey. Against national vaccine recommendations, a 62-year-old man from Magdeburg received a staggering 217 Covid-19 vaccine shots over a span of 29 months. This amounts to an average of one jab every four days. The man’s case has been outlined in a correspondence published in the journal Lancet Infectious Diseases, shedding light on the effects of repeated vaccination against the same pathogen.
The man, whose identity remains anonymous due to German privacy rules, reported receiving 217 Covid shots between June 2021 and November 2023. Of these, 134 were confirmed through vaccination center documentation and by a prosecutor, while the remaining 83 were self-reported. Dr. Emily Happy Miller, an assistant professor of medicine and microbiology and immunology at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, described the case as “a really unusual case of someone receiving that many Covid vaccines, clearly not following any type of guidelines.”
Despite his hypervaccination regimen, the man did not experience any vaccine-related side effects and has not contracted Covid-19 to date. However, it is unclear whether his Covid-free status is directly linked to his extensive vaccination history or other factors. Dr. Kilian Schober, senior author of the study, emphasized that this is an individual case study and the results cannot be generalized.
The man’s vaccination journey raised suspicions when he received 16 shots in 2021 and escalated to 48 shots in January 2022. In February and March of the same year, he received 34 and six shots, respectively. Concerns were raised by German Red Cross staff members in Dresden, who warned other vaccination centers about the man’s behavior. He was eventually detained by police in early March 2022 on suspicion of selling vaccination cards to third parties.
The researchers involved in the study reached out to the man in May 2022, when he had already received 213 shots. He agreed to provide medical information, blood, and saliva samples. Despite the researchers’ medical advice, he continued to receive four more Covid shots. The analysis of his blood chemistries revealed no abnormalities linked to his hypervaccination. The study also examined the functioning of his adaptive immune system, which did not show any negative effects from hypervaccination.
The man received a total of eight different vaccine formulations, including mRNA vaccines from Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna, a vector-based vaccine from Johnson & Johnson, and a recombinant-protein vaccine from Sanofi. Dr. Schober emphasized that despite the extraordinary number of shots, no noticeable side effects were triggered, indicating that the vaccines have a good degree of tolerability.
While this case study is intriguing from a scientific perspective, it is important to approach individual cases with caution. Dr. Miller stressed that public health recommendations based on large, randomized control trials should be the primary source of guidance for individuals. She advised people to consult their doctors and follow recommended vaccine schedules to ensure protection against Covid-19.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends Covid vaccination for everyone aged 6 months and older in the United States. The CDC recently updated its guidance to recommend an additional dose of the current Covid vaccine for individuals aged 65 and older. However, CDC data shows that less than a quarter of adults and only 13% of children in the US have received the most recently recommended Covid vaccine.
In conclusion, while the German man’s case is extraordinary, it should not serve as a basis for vaccination decisions. Following official guidelines and consulting healthcare professionals remains the best approach to stay protected from Covid-19 and maintain overall health and safety.
