World
Nurse accidentally gives woman 6 doses of vaccine
A nurse in Italy has accidentally given a woman six doses of the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine.
The woman was kept under observation for 24 hours in hospital but released after she showed no side effects.
The 23-year-old woman, who got the mega dose at Noa Hospital in Massa, Tuscany, was given anti-inflammatory and fever medications along with fluids as a precautionary measure. Apart from pain at the inoculation site, she suffered no side effect.
"This person at this time will certainly not have side effects," said Dr. Antonella Vicenti, director of infectious diseases at Noa Hospital. She said Pfizer studies had shown that people who receive up to 5-times the normal dosage did not suffer any consequences. She also said that patients in Israel and Germany who had accidentally been given 5-times the usual dosage also showed no adverse reactions.
Vincenti said it remained to be seen what long-term effects, if any, the overdose might have on the young woman's antibody levels, and thus her immune response to the coronavirus. She said the hospital would test her blood regularly to monitor her immune response and determine whether she should still get the scheduled second dose after a number of weeks.