'Hypervaccinated' man, 62, receives 217 Covid jabs in less than three years - and he's never had the virus

Person getting vaccinated

German man gets vaccinated against Covid 217 times

Getty Images
Adam Chapman

By Adam Chapman


Published: 06/03/2024

- 13:18

Updated: 06/03/2024

- 13:25
  • A German man had dozens of Covid shots over 29 months
  • He had no 'signs' of infection and reported no vaccine side effects
  • The unnamed individual did it for 'private reasons'

A man from Germany has been vaccinated against Covid more than 200 times, scientists say.

The 62-year-old, from Magdeburg, Germany, received dozens of jabs over 29 months for "private reasons", according to a study published in the journal Lancet Infectious Diseases.



He had “no signs” of ever being infected with Covid and had not reported no vaccine-related side-effects, the researchers from University of Erlangen-Nuremberg said.

Academics heard about the man in a newspaper report and asked if they could study his body’s response to the multiple jabs.

Covid vaccine

The man's immune system was found to be functional despite receiving dozens of jabs

PA

“We then contacted him and invited him to undergo various tests in Erlangen. He was very interested in doing so," Dr Kilian Schober said.

There is official confirmation for 134 of these vaccinations – including eight different vaccines, the team said.

“The observation that no noticeable side-effects were triggered in spite of this extraordinary hypervaccination indicates that the drugs have a good degree of tolerability,” Dr Schober added.

Researchers looked at previous blood tests the man had had and also examined blood samples as he went on to receive further vaccines.

Researchers found that his immune system was fully functional.

Certain immune cells and antibodies against the virus which causes Covid-19 (Sars-CoV-2) were present in considerably higher levels compared to people who had received just three vaccines, the team reported.

“Overall, we did not find any indication for a weaker immune response, rather the contrary,” said one of the leading study authors Katharina Kocher.

People in the UK will have received a maximum of seven jabs through the initial vaccination programme and subsequent booster jabs.

A doctor vaccinates a man with Comirnaty Pfizer BioNTech coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine in Berlin

he man from Germany had dozens of vaccines 'for private reasons'

REUTERS

Many working age adults with no underlying health conditions will have had three jabs – two in the initial programme and a booster.

The vaccines were designed to confer immunity and blunt the impact of Covid, but some feared hypervaccination would weaken the immune system.

The latest study addresses some of these concerns but experts do not recommend exceeding the recommended amount of vaccinations for any condition.

“Current research indicates that a three dose vaccination, coupled with regular top-up vaccines for vulnerable groups, remains the favored approach. There is no indication that more vaccines are required,” Dr. Schober said.

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