Singapore: SingHealth, which runs the polyclinic, stated on Sunday (October 24) that more than 100 people who had received the COVID-19 vaccine at Bukit Merah Polyclinic had mistakenly received a lower dose of the vaccine.
The incident affected 111 patients and 6 staff members who were vaccinated between October 20th and 22nd.
SingHealth said at a media conference that they received a “much lower” vaccine dose, about 10% of the recommended dose.
“This incident occurred due to an error in identifying the correct markings on the new syringes recently introduced to the clinic,” the health care organization said.
SingHealth said that after the incident was discovered, it took immediate action to determine the extent of the error and contact the affected patients.
The company stated that it has contacted all affected patients and is arranging for them to receive a “complete replacement dose” of the vaccine as soon as possible at the SingHealth Polyclinic.
“According to the current vaccination guidelines of the Ministry of Health, we want to assure all affected patients that the initially reduced dose is unlikely to cause any adverse reactions, and that their continued COVID-19 vaccine replacement therapy is clinically safe. “SingHealth said.
The company said that as an additional precaution, all affected patients will be evaluated by a doctor before receiving the replacement dose.
The organization said: “Our investigation also confirmed that this is an isolated incident, and all other vaccinations and services of our polyclinic are not affected,” adding that measures have been taken to prevent recurrence in its polyclinic.
Adrian Ee, CEO of SingHealth Polyclinics, apologized for the “anxiety and inconvenience” caused by affected patients and their families.
Dr. Ee said: “We will take all necessary measures to resolve their concerns and provide them with the convenience of vaccinating alternative COVID-19 vaccines as soon as possible.”
He said that immediate measures have been taken to correct the error and the staff has been reminded to properly use the new syringe to inject the COVID-19 vaccine.
“We also want to assure our patients that we have thoroughly reviewed our processes and will ensure that employees are familiar with the use of the new equipment,” said Dr. Ee.
