Four workers in northern Germany were sent to hospital on Sunday after being accidentally given five times the recommended dose of coronavirus vaccine.
Vorpommern-Ruegen district officials reported that eight workers in an elderly care unit received an overdose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, with four developing flu-like symptoms and being monitored as a precaution. When the mistake was discovered, the workers, who are between 37 and 54 years old, were informed and sent home.
“I deeply regret the incident,” District Chief Stefan Kerth said in a statement to The Hill. “This individual case is due to individual errors. I hope that all those affected will not have serious side effects. “
District authorities cited BioNTech’s previous statements indicating that higher doses were used in the first phase of the study and did not lead to serious consequences.
Pfizer and BioNTech pointed out that for those receiving a vaccine overdose, “monitoring of vital functions and possible symptomatic treatment” is recommended.
The incident took place a few days ago in Germany and Launch of the European Union vaccine approved by the EU drug regulator last week. The US and the UK had approved the vaccine earlier this month and have started administering the first doses in recent weeks.
Together with Pfizer, the EU has contracts with AstraZeneca and Moderna for its vaccination campaign and intends to vaccinate 6.25 million people by the end of the year.
Some German districts have refused to use the doses of vaccine received over the weekend, worried that the cooling conditions required for the vaccine were interrupted during delivery, Reuters reported on Monday. The Pfizer vaccine should be transported at a temperature between -112 degrees and -76 degrees Fahrenheit, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
—Updated at 14:25