Dozens of people have been given ultra-low doses of the Pfizer vaccine for COVID-19 due to an error at a Brisbane immunisation centre.
Sixty-six people have been contacted by Queensland Health on Wednesday, after the error was made at Kippa Ring Vaccination Centre before 9.30am on Saturday.
It is believed among the 66 people, six of them received the ultra-low dose. They are not yet identified.
“The Pfizer vaccine requires a process of preparation where saline is added to the vaccine vial and withdrawn to make up to six syringes,” Queensland Health said in a statement.
“An initial review indicated one vial was used twice, meaning the doses drawn on the second use were over-diluted.
File image of the COVID-19 Pfizer vaccines after dilution. File image of the COVID-19 Pfizer vaccines after dilution. Credit: Asanka Ratnayake/Getty Images “The error occurred within the first hour and a half of the clinic opening and immediate action was taken.
“Unfortunately there is no ability to trace which six of the first 66 patients through the vaccination clinic were given the ultra-low dose.”
The authority will work with all potential recipients of the low dose to attempt to get them to the optimal immunity level, however it’s not believed an ultra-low dose is harmful.
“I am incredibly sorry for any distress this has caused to those 66 people and their families. We will, of course, be supporting every single person impacted,” Metro North Hospital and Health Service spokeswoman Jackie Hanson said.
“I am incredibly grateful we have good safety culture at Metro North and that the error was picked up quickly as a result of those safeguards.”