Angela Merkel hits out at rival’s claim vaccinated people are guinea pigs

Christian Gravert, left, chief medical officer of the Deutsche Bahn, vaccinates a man with the Johnson & Johnson, or Janssen, vaccine in a special train of Berlin’s public transport S-Bahn, in which vaccination against Covid-19 are offered (Christophe Gateau/AP)

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has publicly rebuked a top rival politician’s comments describing people who have been vaccinated against Covid-19 as “guinea pigs”.

The long-serving leader said in a speech before Parliament that “none of us was and is any way a guinea pig when it comes to vaccination”.