German man vaccinated against COVID-19 217 times

A German man has been found to have received a COVID-19 vaccination more than 200 times.

Researchers at Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU) and Universitätsklinikum Erlangen said they encountered the case through media reports, and asked the man, 62, to undergo some testing.

He had received 217 vaccinations in a period of two years and five months, according to the results of the study, published in the journal Lancet.

It was theorised the repeated injections may have affected his immune system, fatiguing the body's T-cells that fight disease.

However, it was not the case.

"Overall, we did not find any indication for a weaker immune response, rather the contrary," co-lead author Katharina Kocher said in a statement.

The man even had another vaccination - his 217th - during the trial, with no ill effects observed.

"Our test case was vaccinated with a total of eight different vaccines, including different available mRNA vaccines," researcher Dr Kilian Schober said.

"The observation that no noticeable side effects were triggered in spite of this extraordinary hypervaccination indicates that the drugs have a good degree of tolerability."

However, the scientists noted that the man was an individual case and not necessarily an indication of how a broader population would react to such "hypervaccination".

They recommended most people continue to follow the recommended three-jab course, with regular top-ups for vulnerable groups. (Courtesy Nine News)