Fact-check: Did 60,000 die in Germany from COVID vaccine?
What's the story
A testimony by a former Pfizer toxicologist to the German parliament has sparked controversy over COVID-19 vaccine safety. Dr Helmut Sterz, ex-head of toxicology at Pfizer's European centers, testified before Germany's Bundestag's Corona Enquete Commission on March 19, 2026. He claimed that long-term risk assessments, including carcinogenicity studies, were not completed before the public rollout of vaccines and alleged that 10 preclinical safety studies were skipped.
Death toll
Claims of vaccine-related deaths in Germany
Sterz also raised the alarm over vaccine-related deaths in Germany, citing 2,133 deaths reported by Germany's Paul-Ehrlich-Institut. He applied a 30x multiplier to this number, arriving at a staggering figure of 63,990 deaths. However, Germany's Health Minister Karl Lauterbach dismissed these claims as false during the session where Sterz testified.
Vaccine skepticism
Elon Musk backs Sterz's assertions
Elon Musk, the owner of X (formerly Twitter), has endorsed Sterz's claims. He had earlier shared his own vaccine experience, saying that while he contracted COVID-19 mildly before vaccines were available, his second vaccine shot "almost sent me to the hospital. Felt like I was dying." He also expressed skepticism about coronavirus risks in 2020 and linked LeBron James's son's cardiac arrest to COVID-19 vaccines without proof in July 2023.
Twitter Post
Musk's latest post on COVID vaccine
The vaccine dosage was obviously too high and done too many times.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 12, 2026
I had the original Wuhan virus before there was any vaccine and it was much like any other cold/flu. Bad, but not terrible.
But my second vaccine shot almost sent me to the hospital. Felt like I was dying. https://t.co/rFuUpzBkKH
Fact check
Controversy over Sterz's multiplier
Sterz's 30x multiplier is based on a Harvard Pilgrim Health Care study, which claimed that less than 1% of vaccine adverse events are reported. However, the US Department of Health has cautioned against using VAERS data for establishing causation or calculating actual death rates. Medical experts have pointed out that this multiplier can't be applied to Germany's healthcare structure and reporting culture.
Counter evidence
Evidence supporting vaccines' role in reducing mortality rates
Data from The Lancet show that high vaccination rates were linked to lower mortality rates in Western Europe. This counters Sterz's claims of vaccine-related deaths in Germany. Despite the World Health Organization backing COVID-19 vaccines as a critical tool in preventing severe illness and death, skepticism continues to linger over their safety and efficacy.