Four health workers from northern Germany were sent to hospital on Sunday after accidentally receiving five times the recommended dose of coronavirus vaccine.
Vorpommern-Ruegen district officials reported that eight workers at a care center for the elderly had received an overdose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, with four in development flu-like symptoms and control as a precautionary measure. When the error 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 obtained from The Hill. “This individual case is due to individual mistakes. I hope that all those affected do not experience any serious side effects. “
District authorities cited earlier statements by BioNTech indicating that higher doses were used in the first phase of the trials and had no serious consequences.
Pfizer and BioNTech noted that for those who receive an overdose of the vaccine, it is recommended to “monitor vital functions and possible symptomatic treatment.”
The incident occurred days in Germany and al Launch of the European Union of the vaccine, approved by the EU drug regulator last week. The United States and the United Kingdom had approved the vaccine earlier this month and began administering the first doses in recent weeks.
Together with Pfizer, the EU has contracts with AstraZeneca and Moderna for its vaccination campaign and plans to vaccinate 6.25 million people by the end of the year.
Some German districts refused to use vaccine doses received over the weekend out of concern that the cold conditions required for the vaccine would be disrupted during childbirth, Reuters reported Monday. The Pfizer vaccine should be sent at a temperature between -112 degrees and -76 degrees Fahrenheit, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
—Updated at 14:25