First post-Covid19 jab claims land in German courts

GERMANY – In the face of a deadly pandemic that emerged in early 2020, which prompted border closures and lockdowns that trapped millions of people in their homes, the arrival of Covid vaccines had been widely hailed as a life-saver. But the jabs, which had been developed at breakneck speed and granted early approval for usage, are now the focus of legal claims in several countries including France and Britain as the plaintiffs say the vaccines damaged their health.

In Germany, a court in Hamburg will be the first to hear a case brought against homegrown vaccine manufacturer BioNTech, which, together with US giant Pfizer, produced the first mRNA vaccine Comirnaty. The claimant reported suffering effects including “pain in the upper body, swelling of the extremities, exhaustion, fatigue and sleeping disorders” after taking the jab, the court said.

She is seeking 150,000 euros ($162,000) in damages and recognition that the “defendant is bound to provide material damages”, the court added. Her lawyer Thomas Ulbrich, who is also representing another 250 people in similar cases, said his clients were “all healthy” before suffering from symptoms, allegedly following their jabs. He believes that the medical files he has on hand offer a link between the vaccines and the symptoms experienced by his clients.