Eighteen infants in Hanoi were mistakenly injected with Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine instead of other immunisation shots, but no adverse effects have been reported.
The city’s health authority made the disclosure on Friday.
The rare event occurred on Wednesday at the Yen Son Commune Medical Centre in the Quoc Oai District of Hanoi, as it was organising vaccination for children aged from one to six months.
A member of the medical staff, instead of giving the infants registered vaccines, mistakenly gave them COVID-19 vaccine, Hanoi’s Department of Health said in a report.
After noticing the mistake, the centre reported to the local authorities, which ordered the centre to transfer the infants to the city’s Saint Paul Hospital to be monitored.
By Friday morning, after 48 hours since the injection, most of the children were awake and eating well; some showed signs of fever, fussiness and poor appetite.
According to the report, those are common post-vaccination side effects.
No adverse effects have been reported as the infants are in stable condition.
The department reported to the ministry of health and consulted with leading professors in the country and medical experts from the World Health Organisation and United Nations Children’s Fund.
District authorities have suspended one medical staff member who directly injected the infants and four others who were involved in the incident.
Vietnam’s Ministry of Health has only approved vaccination of children aged from 12 years to 17 years. (dpa/NAN)
