Germany: Man refusing vaccination attacks health workers

German police on Saturday arrested a man accused of injuring two members of a COVID vaccination team in eastern Germany. 

The man, who cannot be named because of German privacy rules, allegedly attacked a nurse and an assistant who were vaccinating people at a shopping center in the town of Gera, said the country's medical association (KV).

What happened?

The man walked up to the mobile vaccination team and asked for a vaccination certificate but refused to get the jab, police said.

When the nurse and assistant denied him the certificate, they said the man "flipped out" and became violent toward them.

The Health Ministry of the eastern state of Thuringia said the two were injured in the attack and had to be taken to hospital for treatment. The KV said they have now been released.

As the alleged attacker had previously registered to get the jab, police officers soon tracked him down at a nearby parking garage.

The man, who was wanted by police for a separate matter, was arrested and later released without bail.

Medics to return to work soon

The vaccination team was able to vaccinate 120 people before the incident, after which they had to stop their work.

The medical association said the team will return to the area soon. The German government seeks to increase COVID-19 vaccination rates before the fall. A total of 61% of the population are now fully vaccinated against the coronavirus.

jc/fb (dpa, AP)