Nearly 1,800 people given expired COVID-19 vaccines in Germany

BERLIN

Nearly 1,800 people in southeastern Germany received expired doses of a COVID-19 vaccine last week, authorities said on Tuesday.

A vaccination center in the Bavarian town of Ebersberg administered expired BionTech/Pfizer doses between Jan. 4 and 6, the local health department said in a statement.

At least 1,800 people were injected with doses which expired on Dec. 31, and authorities started to notify all those affected.

The vaccination center said in a statement that there is no health risk from the expired doses, and offered free antibody tests to the affected individuals to determine whether they need a new dose for protection.

TRESEC, the company that runs the vaccination center, has announced that it fired two employees who did not follow the safety guidelines and instructions while preparing the vaccines for administration.