"Administering More Than 5 Times the Vaccine Dose"... Consistently Reported Cases of Vaccine 'Misadministration'

Vaccine vaccination. The photo is not related to the article. /Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Na Ye-eun] As the global vaccination rate for the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) increases, cases of vaccine misadministration, such as overdosing or administering only half the required dose, have been frequently reported.

In August, at a private medical institution in Cheongwon-gu, Cheongju City, 10 COVID-19 vaccine recipients were given 5 to 6 times the standard dose of the Pfizer vaccine. The Pfizer vaccine should be divided and administered to 5 to 6 people per vial. However, the investigation revealed that the entire vial was administered to a single person at this medical institution.

Additionally, on June 10-11, at a private medical institution in Buan-gun, Jeonbuk Province, five individuals in their 30s were overdosed with the Janssen vaccine. The Janssen vaccine should also be divided into doses for 5 people per vial, but the entire vial was administered to one person at this institution.

Conversely, a hospital in Namdong-gu, Incheon, reported a case where only half the standard dose of the AstraZeneca (AZ) vaccine was administered. The hospital reportedly gave about half of the standard AZ vaccine dose (0.5ml) to around 40 people, claiming that receiving only half the dose results in fewer adverse reactions.

▲ Vaccine misadministration cases continue abroad... An 80-year-old woman undergoing stroke treatment dies

This is unrelated to the article. / Photo by Zydus Cadila website capture

Cases of COVID-19 vaccine misadministration have been consistently reported not only domestically but also internationally.

On the 18th, in Vietnam, a high school sophomore male student was mistakenly given COVID-19 vaccines at 10-minute intervals. The student had completed the first dose of the Pfizer vaccine and was waiting at another table to be monitored for any adverse reactions such as breathing difficulties.

However, just 10 minutes after the first dose, the student was administered the vaccine again due to a misunderstanding by the on-site medical staff, who mistakenly thought the waiting student had not yet been vaccinated. The student was immediately taken to a hospital but was confirmed to have no significant symptoms.

Furthermore, on July 29 (local time), it was reported that an 80-year-old woman undergoing stroke treatment in Italy died after receiving the vaccine four times. The woman had completed her second Moderna vaccine dose in March before being hospitalized in April at a hospital in Padova, northeastern Italy, where she received two additional Pfizer vaccine doses. She passed away three months after being admitted to the hospital.

Meanwhile, according to the "COVID-19 Vaccination Implementation Guidelines" prepared with reference to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention standards, if more than half the vaccine dose has been administered, no revaccination is required. However, if less than half the dose was given or the dose ratio cannot be estimated, an approved dose must be immediately administered in the opposite arm.

If a dose exceeding the recommended amount is administered, medical staff must promptly inform the vaccine recipient, monitor for adverse reactions, and report the incident to the vaccination registration system. To date, clinical trials have shown that overdosed recipients did not experience severe side effects, although many reported pain at the injection site.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.