German officials are hoping to make new mass coronavirus vaccination centers safe from potential attacks as they prepare to open.
Albrecht Broemme, the former head of Germany’s civil protection agency who is leading the task of opening up six mass vaccination centers in Berlin, told the Associated Press on Friday that there are special security concerns for the facilities.
Although no solid threats against the centers have been logged, Broemme said he plans to engage in “intense conversations” with both police and private security groups regarding safety precautions, given the potential for violence.
There have been sporadic protests in Germany over coronavirus restrictions, and some in the country have made unfounded claims that the German government will force people to be vaccinated despite denials from officials.
“With the centers, it’s indeed possible that people opposed to vaccination or others willing to use violence might say, ‘Let’s set this on fire because we think vaccinations are stupid,'” Broemme said.
Markus Lammert, a spokesman with Germany’s Interior Ministry, told reporters the ministry is aware of the security concerns, although he pointed out that it is “not aware of a concrete threat scenario.”
“In any case, we can’t provide information about operational details and facts,” he added.
Germany is preparing for the European Medicines Agency to authorize the emergency use of a COVID-19 vaccine produced by pharmaceutical giant Pfizer and German company BioNTech. While the United Kingdom became the first nation to approve its use this week, the European Medicines Agency may not make a decision about authorizing the inoculation until the end of December.
Germany has had more than 1.1 million confirmed cases of the virus and at least 18,135 deaths since the pandemic began.
