Pingtung County's public health bureau on Friday fined a local hospital for having mistakenly inoculated 88 people with a second dose of a COVID-19 vaccine that was different from what the recipients had registered for.
The mistake made by Antai Tian-sheng Memorial Hospital resulted in 88 out of 100 individuals being incorrectly given a shot of AstraZeneca (AZ) on Wednesday after they had made appointments to get a second dose of Moderna.
The hospital, located in Pingtung County's Donggang Township, submitted the findings of an internal investigation on Friday as per the bureau's request.
After receiving the report, the bureau released a statement declaring that the hospital had violated the Medical Care Act and as a result, would be fined NT$150,000 (US$5,376.83).
According to the bureau, the report concluded that the hospital had failed to properly enforce vaccine management, storing different brands of vaccines in one unit without compartmentalization.
The findings also revealed that the hospital had failed to properly follow strict vaccine jab preparation protocols, which are applied by nurses and pharmacists to prevent mistakes such as incorrect inoculation from happening.
In line with the protocols, medical staff are required to read the label of a drug once when retrieving it from the medicine cabinet, read it a second time when providing the drug, and read it a third time when returning the drug to the medicine cabinet.
Also, medical professionals must confirm the right patient, the right drug, the right time, the right dose, and the right route when providing medication to patients.
According to the bureau's chief, Shih Cheng-kuei (???), all 100 individuals who had applied to get a Moderna shot on Wednesday at Antai Hospital have been located, and will be under the bureau's observation for the next 21 days.
Shih said that to date, 13 of the recipients have sought medical treatment after developing dizziness, fever, and muscle soreness. Of the 13, one individual has been asked to stay in the hospital for further observation, he added.
Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel