Another Misadministration to Under-18s... Pfizer Vaccine Given to Middle School Student Visiting for Eye Treatment
Expired Vaccines Also an Issue
Gyeonggi Pyeongtaek St. Mary's Hospital Administered Vaccines Past Recommended Date to 104 People
A citizen is receiving a COVID-19 vaccination. The photo is unrelated to specific expressions in the article. [Image source=Yonhap News]
[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Midam] "I'm worried because vaccine misadministration accidents happen frequently.", "Isn't it basic to verify the recipient when administering vaccines?"
As the COVID-19 vaccine first dose recipients exceeded 560,000 as of the 24th, and the vaccination rate is increasing, misadministration accidents have been occurring repeatedly, causing problems. Typical cases include administering expired vaccines at frontline medical institutions or mistakenly vaccinating people who are not eligible for vaccination.
Given this situation, citizens are pointing out that medical institutions may be so focused on vaccination that they do not properly verify the vaccination recipients. Experts emphasize that vaccination centers must properly verify the identity of recipients to reduce cases of vaccine misadministration.
Recently, a controversy arose when a middle school student was mistakenly administered the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine at an internal medicine hospital in Namyangju-si, Gyeonggi Province. Currently, minors are not being vaccinated in South Korea.
According to health authorities on the 23rd, on the 22nd, a middle school student, Ms. A, who visited an internal medicine clinic in Namyangju-si due to swollen eyes, was administered the Pfizer vaccine by medical staff.
The hospital recognized the mistake after vaccination and informed Ms. A and her guardian about the vaccine misadministration. Ms. A reportedly showed no major adverse reactions other than a slight fever.
This is not the first case of vaccinating a minor. On the 13th, at a pediatric and adolescent clinic in Deokjin-gu, Jeonju-si, Jeollabuk-do, a 12-year-old boy, Mr. B, was mistakenly administered the Pfizer vaccine due to medical staff error. Mr. B had visited the hospital for stye treatment but was mistakenly given the COVID-19 vaccine injection.
The hospital admitted the fault, stating, "We thought he was an elementary school student because of his large build," and that the medical staff was mistaken. Fortunately, Mr. B reportedly showed no adverse reactions.
Medical staff preparing for the COVID-19 vaccine. The photo is unrelated to specific expressions in the article. [Image source=Yonhap News]
Meanwhile, there were cases of administering vaccines past their recommended expiration dates. On the 2nd and 3rd, Pyeongtaek St. Mary's Hospital in Gyeonggi Province mistakenly administered expired vaccines to 104 people, and Seoul Korea University Guro Hospital also administered vaccines that were close to or past the recommended thawing expiration date to about 140 people on the 26th and 27th of last month.
Citizens are urging the government to strengthen related measures in response to vaccine misadministration cases. As of midnight on the 13th, out of a total of 43,214,600 vaccinations, 1,803 cases of misadministration were recorded. This corresponds to about 0.0003% of total vaccinations.
Office worker Mr. Kim (27) said, "Seeing such accidents happen frequently makes me think it's really dangerous and serious. Isn't verifying the recipient basic when vaccinating?" He added, "Measures such as imposing penalties on medical staff who misadminister vaccines are needed to prevent such accidents. That way, medical staff will be more cautious."
In response to growing concerns about misadministration, the government prepared countermeasures on the 10th. Initially, the expiration date was only marked on the outside of vaccine sub-packages, but now it is also attached inside and on the sides to make it easier to check the expiration date after thawing.
However, despite government measures, misadministration cases have not ceased, increasing fears of adverse reactions and misadministration among vaccination recipients.
Mr. Oh (30), an office worker scheduled to receive his first vaccine dose on the 30th, said, "I was already hesitant to get vaccinated because of side effects, but now with misadministration cases coming out, I feel anxious. I understand that medical staff are busy because of vaccines, but at least a minimum verification process should be followed."
He added, "In a way, this is a matter of people's lives. I think vaccination recipients should be more thoroughly verified to prevent recurrence of such incidents."
Experts emphasize communication between medical staff and vaccination recipients to reduce vaccine misadministration accidents. Professor Cheon Eunmi of the Respiratory Medicine Department at Ewha Mokdong Hospital said on CBS Radio's 'Kim Hyun-jung's News Show,' "When you go to the hospital for vaccination, you are always asked to state your name and date of birth. Confirming 'which vaccine I am receiving and when' during vaccination is a way to reduce misadministration."
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