MOE & MOH Apologise After 16YO Given the Wrong COVID-19 Vaccine

In January this year, an employee at the Singapore National Eye Centre (SNEC) received five doses of a COVID-19 vaccine.

You’re not reading that wrong, they got five doses. 

This was a mistake, of course, and not a new inoculation strategy.  A lapse in communication among the vaccination team had led to the additional doses.

Recently, a slightly different sort of error occurred: a vaccine recipient got the right number of doses, but it turned out that he wasn’t supposed to get the vaccine in the first place. 

16YO Given the Wrong COVID-19 Vaccine

Yesterday (3 June), a 16-year-old boy turned up at Kollam Ayer Community Club Vaccination Centre to get vaccinated.

He received one dose of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine and was placed under observation.

Everything sounds fine, right? Well, except that the boy is under 18 and the Moderna vaccine is currently authorised for individuals aged 18 and above.

The error was discovered at the vaccination centre during the post-vaccination observation period. A staff member found out that the boy was under 18 years of age.

As an additional precaution, he was placed under a longer observation time of 50 minutes, and remains generally well, the Ministry of Health (MOH) said in a joint statement with the Ministry of Education (MOE).

How it Happened

Investigations revealed that the boy’s date of birth had been erroneously entered when booking a vaccination appointment after receiving the sign-up link.

Consequently, his age was incorrectly registered as above 18 years of age, making it possible for a Moderna vaccination centre to be selected.

The vaccination centre staff had also failed to verify his age during registration, which should have been carried out, the statement said.

MOE & MOH Apologise

The two ministries apologised for the lapse, saying the safety of those receiving the vaccination is of utmost priority.

“We apologise for the inconvenience and anxiety caused, and have reached out to the youth’s parents to explain the situation,” MOH and MOE said.

MOH said it has carried out a thorough review of its internal processes at vaccination sites, including putting in place more stringent protocols at its vaccination sites to verify eligibility.

The ministry is also in close contact with the boy and his family and will continue to monitor his health closely and provide the necessary support.

Review by Expert Committee for COVID-19 Vaccination 

Fortunately for the young boy, a review by the Expert Committee for COVID-19 Vaccination said that no safety issues should arise from the erroneous shot.

“Data from a trial involving more than 3,700 adolescents aged 12 to 17 years old has found that the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine is safe and effective among adolescents with no significant safety issues identified,” the committee said.

“The majority of adverse events were mild or moderate in severity, and the common ones were injection site pain, headache, fatigue, muscle aches, and chills.”

It added that a medical team will consult the Expert Committee on what would be best for the youth for the completion of the vaccination.

Featured Image: Miriam Doerr Martin Frommherz / Shutterstock.com