Blunder as senior jabbed twice in one go

Sophie Hui

A male nurse has been suspended after he administered two BioNTech jabs in a 66-year-old man - the first blunder since vaccination started in February, according to the operator of the Tuen Mun vaccination center.

Getting two jabs at the same time should not be hazardous, doctors said, but the recipient could suffer from more severe side effects such as arm pain and fever.

The man surnamed Law was sent to Tuen Mun Hospital after the blunder at the vaccination center in Yau Oi Sports Centre on Wednesday. His condition is stable.

Law said he is not sure whether he will get a third jab three weeks later after the "traumatic experience."

He added: "I think the nurse has been negligent and I hope he can be more careful in the future."

Law recalled that after the first dose the nurse told him to apply pressure to the injection spot, but he was given another shot after the nurse got new cotton.

"I asked the nurse: 'does it require two shots?' " Law said. "But he did not respond and jabbed me. I couldn't stop him as he was quick."

He said the nurse later asked him at the resting area whether he was given two shots. "I said yes. He was panicking and asked me to return to the vaccination area," Law said.

"I have high blood pressure and cholesterol. Of course I'm worried, I don't know why he gave me two shots and I don't know what the consequences will be, so I am a bit panicked."

Law was later sent to the hospital with arm pain and an elevated blood pressure.

The Human Health Associate, which operates the vaccination center, said that after initial investigation, the nurse had made a "procedural error" and he has been suspended from duty.

A doctor of the medical group has reported the incident to the Department of Health, checked on the man and monitored his condition.

The medical group said it will also enhance its management and monitoring on all medical procedures to ensure safety.

The Department of Health said it was informed on Wednesday afternoon. It told the vaccination center operator to submit a report as part of its investigation.

University of Hong Kong infectious disease expert Ho Pak-leung said on a radio program that the total dosage the man received should not cause any safety issue, but the recipient could react more strongly to the vaccination.

Ho said recipients receive 30mg of BioNTech's Comirnaty in each jab, so the dosage from two jabs is still lower than the 100mg used in the first phase of clinical trials.

And the man does not need to change the date of the next jab - 21 days after the first - as he may not have higher antibody levels even if he had received two jabs consecutively, Ho added.

Medical Conscience's David Lam Tzit-yuen, who is in charge of the vaccination center at Queen Elizabeth Stadium, said on the same program that the procedures are smooth in vaccination centers.

Nurses are familiar with the procedures and they inject more than 100 people in the busier centers each day. After the injection, nurses will ask recipients to hold some cotton on the jab spot and print the vaccination record. Lam said nurses should finish the whole process before walking away from their desk.

He said people do not need to be too worried as the chance of nurses forgetting what step they are at is very slim - one in every tens of thousands of jabs.

sophie.hui@singtaonewscorp.com