Scientists in Germany were baffled after a 62-year-old man from Magdeburg claimed that he received more than 200 vaccine doses for Covid-19. Researchers at Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU) and Universitätsklinikum Erlangen found about the man from newspaper reports and studied his immune response.
"We learned about his case via newspaper articles. We then contacted him and invited him to undergo various tests in Erlangen. He was very interested in doing so," said Dr Kilian Schober from the Institute of Microbiology – Clinical Microbiology, Immunology and Hygiene in a press release. The release also stated, that the man from Germany received 217 vaccinations deliberately and for private reasons within 29 months.(Also Read: CDC shortens isolation time for COVID-19 patients in new guidelines)
"The individual has undergone various blood tests over recent years," explained Schober. "He gave us his permission to assess the results of these analyses. In some cases, samples had been frozen, and we were able to investigate these ourselves. We were also able to take blood samples ourselves when the man received a further vaccination during the study at his own insistence. We were able to use these samples to determine exactly how the immune system reacts to the vaccination."
According to the press release, the test subject had a high number of T-effector cells that can defend the body against Covid-19 infection. When compared to a control group of individuals who received three immunisations, the test subject had more T-effector cells. Furthermore, the researchers found that these effector cells were not fatigued and were similarly effective as those in the control group who had received the normal number of vaccinations. (Also Read: All about two rare Covid-19 vaccine side effects detected in a study)
{{/usCountry}}According to the press release, the test subject had a high number of T-effector cells that can defend the body against Covid-19 infection. When compared to a control group of individuals who received three immunisations, the test subject had more T-effector cells. Furthermore, the researchers found that these effector cells were not fatigued and were similarly effective as those in the control group who had received the normal number of vaccinations. (Also Read: All about two rare Covid-19 vaccine side effects detected in a study)
{{/usCountry}}"The number of memory cells was just as high in our test case as in the control group. Overall, we did not find any indication for a weaker immune response; rather, it was the contrary," explains Katharina Kocher, one of the leading authors of the study published in Lancet Infectious Diseases journal.
Additional testing revealed the man's immune system's ability to fight off other infections remained unchanged. Therefore, it appears that the immune system was 'not damaged' by overvaccination.