Coronavirus Vaccine Death Toll: Nation Discloses Casualty Count
In Lower Saxony, Germany, a total of around 19.4 million COVID-19 vaccinations were administered over the past two years. The overall safety profile of these vaccines, as reported by the Paul-Ehrlich-Institut (PEI) and the European Medicines Agency (EMA), is characterized by a very low incidence of serious adverse effects.
According to EMA data, side effects are reported in about 0.2% of cases. The PEI and EMA continue regular monitoring to ensure that vaccines authorized in Europe maintain a favorable safety profile, with benefits greatly outweighing risks.
In comparison, the incidence of suspected vaccine damage reports in Lower Saxony is relatively low but exists as a formal reporting and compensation mechanism for vaccine-related adverse events. Over the past two years, 80 deaths were reported due to suspected vaccine damage following COVID-19 vaccinations, with 96 occurring in 2021 and 2022.
The majority of these deaths (80) were attributed to Comirnaty (BioNTech) vaccines, followed by 12 deaths attributed to Moderna vaccines, 10 to AstraZeneca vaccines, and 3 to Janssen vaccines. It's important to note that these represent suspected cases, which are subject to further evaluation and do not necessarily correlate with confirmed vaccine-induced harm.
In terms of the reporting rate, 0.32 reports per 1,000 vaccine doses with serious outcomes were recorded. The evaluation did not show any risk signal when compared with international reports in the adverse reaction database at the European Medicines Agency.
The PEI, responsible for vaccine approval and safety monitoring in Germany, collects and analyses these reports to assess safety signals. Local level reports from states like Lower Saxony feed into the national surveillance conducted by the PEI, ensuring localized data contributes to national safety assessments.
Reports help inform compensation and risk-benefit assessment in Germany and contribute to evolving vaccination policies. Despite the reported cases, vaccines remain recommended, with ongoing research and R&D investments to improve safety and efficacy.
As of the latest safety report from the Paul-Ehrlich-Institut, which is from December 2024, over 6 million vaccinations have been administered in Lower Saxony, with around 6.2 million people receiving their first COVID-19 vaccine dose in 2021 and an additional 210,000 people in 2022. In 2021, around 337,000 cases of COVID-19 infection were reported in Lower Saxony, followed by 3.3 million cases in 2022.
In 2021, 80 deaths were reported due to suspected vaccine damage, following COVID-19 vaccinations, while 16 deaths were reported in 2022. Since 2015, 100 deaths have been reported in Lower Saxony due to suspected vaccine damage, with the majority occurring in 2021 and 2022 following COVID-19 vaccinations.
In conclusion, the regulatory authorities consider COVID-19 vaccines safe with occasional rare adverse events, while localized vaccine damage reports, such as in Lower Saxony, represent a structured system of pharmacovigilance rather than indication of widespread safety concerns.
Science has shown that COVID-19 vaccines, namely Comirnaty (BioNTech), Moderna, AstraZeneca, and Janssen, have a favorable safety profile, significantly benefitting health and wellness. However, medical-conditions related to vaccines, such as suspected vaccine damage, are formally reported and compensated, with over 80 deaths reported in Lower Saxony, Germany, in 2021 and 2022.
