Error causes 111 patients & 6 staff given only 1/10 of COVID vaccine at Bukit Merah polyclinic

Singapore — An error caused a total of 117 staff and patients to receive the wrong dosage of the Covid-19 vaccine last week at a Bukit Merah polyclinic.

According to a statement from SingHealth Polyclinics on Oct 24, the mistake stemmed from identifying the marks on new syringes that the clinic had just begun to use.

This affected the vaccinations of 111 patients and six staff members, who received their shots between Wednesday (Oct 20) and Friday (Oct 22). The mistake in administering the doses had been discovered on Friday, SingHealth added.

Its statement added that receiving this reduced dose of the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine will likely not cause negative reactions.

“Based on the current vaccination guidelines by the Ministry of Health, we would like to assure all affected patients that the initial reduced dose is unlikely to cause any adverse reactions, and it is clinically safe for them to proceed with the COVID-19 vaccine replacement dose.”

However, the individuals who were given the wrong dose will be evaluated by a doctor before they proceed with the replacement jab, as an extra precaution. 

“Our investigations have also confirmed that the incident is an isolated one, and all other vaccinations and services in our polyclinics are not affected,” the statement said, adding that SingHealth is arranging for the affected individuals to receive their replacement jabs.

“We have taken immediate steps to rectify the error, and staff have been reminded on the proper use of the new syringe to administer the Covid-19 vaccine,” Dr Adrian Ee, the chief executive officer at SingHealth Polyclinics was quoted in The Straits Times as saying.

“We would also like to reassure our patients that we have thoroughly reviewed our processes, and will ensure that staff are familiar with the use of new devices.”

He apologised to the individuals concerned, as well as their families, for the error.

ST added that SingHealth contacted the affected individuals immediately after the error was detected. /TISG

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