California Department of Health officials were struggling to allay residents’ fears this week after many people received a letter saying they may have received a very low dose of the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine.
The letters were supposed to go to people who visited the Oakland Coliseum vaccination site, but by mistake the letters were also delivered to people who used the Eastmont Mall site, Bay Area FOX 2 reported.
In any event, there was no cause for alarm, regardless of where people visited, health officials told the station.
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Ali Bay, a spokesman for the health department, said the confusion probably occurred because the two vaccination sites were being run by the same agencies, the California Emergency Service Office and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
The Oakland Coliseum, home to the MLB’s Oakland A’s, has been used as a vaccination site.
Health officials believe that up to 6,300 people visiting the Colosseum site may have received less vaccine for their injections than they should have, but the lowest dose was still considered strong enough to defend against the virus, officials told FOX 2 .
After these recipients receive their second injection of vaccine, it will make up for the weaker first injection, they said.
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FOX 2 learned of the dosing problem when two paramedics who requested anonymity contacted the station.
The error was attributed to the fact that the Colosseum vaccination team received a different type of syringe that was not fully injecting the vaccine into people’s arms, according to FOX 2.
Smaller doses are believed to be distributed between 4:30 pm on February 28 and 3:00 pm on March 1, until the problem is corrected, FOX 2 reported.