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It is estimated that 4,300 people received less of the Pfizer vaccine than they should, KTVU reported.
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Very little of the vaccine was given due to a problem with the new syringes, the media said.
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California health officials said patients will be informed “immediately” if they need backup.
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Thousands of people who visited a mass vaccination site in Oakland, California, on March 1, received the wrong dosage of the Pfizer vaccine, according to KTVU.
It is estimated that 4,300 people received less than the recommended dose while trying to go to the Oakland Coliseum, two unidentified employees told the media.
The ideal dosage of the vaccine is 0.3 ml of Pfizer, but thousands of people received about 0.2 ml, said KTVU.
Due to a problem with the syringes, very little of the COVID-19 vaccine was administered, the media reported.
The confusion occurred on Monday morning, but was identified and resolved at 2 pm, state officials confirmed to KTVU.
Both agencies that administer the mass vaccination site – the California Emergency Services Office and the Federal Emergency Management Agency – were unaware of the problem until KTVU alerted them on Tuesday.
The United States Department of Public Health, Health and Human Services (HHS) and Pfizer held emergency meetings on Tuesday to discuss the error, an OES California spokesman told the media.
California Department of Health officials then visited the Oakland Coliseum for “great caution,” said a spokesman.
Ali Bay, deputy director of communications for the health department, told KTVU on Friday that no one who was vaccinated on March 1 “was injured or would be injured if we conclude that he received a slightly lower dose of the vaccine.”
Those vaccinated on that date are not being advised to seek additional medical care, but, Bay said, patients will be informed “immediately” if they need emergency backup.
The California health department is now working with HHS, CDC and Pfizer to “ensure that best vaccine practices and quality assurance are adhered to at this location,” Bay told KTVU.
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