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SINGAPORE: An employee of the Singapore National Eye Center (SNEC) incorrectly received the equivalent of five doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine due to human error, the public health institution said on Saturday (February 6).
The error occurred on January 14 during a vaccination exercise conducted at SNEC for members of its staff.
“The bug was discovered minutes after vaccination, when staff were resting in a designated area after vaccination,” SNEC said in a news release.
“Senior physicians were alerted immediately and staff were evaluated and found to be doing well, with no adverse reactions or side effects.”
As a precautionary measure, the affected employee was taken to Singapore General Hospital (SGH) for observation.
“The condition of the staff remained stable throughout the process and the staff was discharged two days later. We have been following up closely with the staff, who are still doing well,” SNEC said.
The vaccination exercise at the ophthalmological center was stopped immediately and the rest of its employees were vaccinated at SGH.
“SNEC is not participating in the Singapore vaccination exercise for any other group,” he said.
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According to SNEC, investigations showed that it was human error stemming from a lack of communication between the vaccination team at the time.
“Staff in charge of diluting the vaccine had been called in to attend to other business during vaccine preparation, and a second staff member had mistaken the undiluted dose in the vial to be ready to administer,” SNEC said.
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The eye center has carried out a “thorough review” of its internal processes and has taken steps to ensure such lapses do not reoccur, SNEC’s medical director Professor Wong Tien Yin said, apologizing for the incident.
“SNEC takes this incident very seriously. The safety of people who receive the vaccine during our staff’s vaccination exercise is our top priority. We are very sorry that this incident occurred, ”he said.
“We have apologized to the staff in question and the staff family. We will continue to closely monitor the health of the staff and provide the necessary support ”.
READ: Singapore begins vaccinating older people against COVID-19 with pilot exercises in Tanjong Pagar, Ang Mo Kio
Singapore began vaccinating its first healthcare worker on December 30 in a small-scale trial at the National Center for Infectious Diseases.
Later, the vaccination exercise was extended to other health institutions and workers in sectors such as aviation and land transportation.
Seniors in Singapore will be progressively offered the vaccine from mid-February.
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