Two Brazilian babies have ended up in hospital after a nurse confused the vials and mistakenly injected them with Pfizer coronavirus vaccine instead of their intended infants’ jabs.
The shocking blunder was first reported by the media and officially confirmed on Sunday by local authorities in the Sorocaba municipality of Brazil’s Sao Paulo state.
A two-month-old girl and a four-month-old boy had arrived at a medical facility in the area last Wednesday to get the shots of the pentavalent vaccine that protects children from Diphtheria, Pertussis, Tetanus, Hepatitis B, and Hib.
However, shortly after returning home the babies developed a high fever, vomited and refused to drink milk. The medicine given to them by their parents failed to improve their condition.
The families were then contacted by Sorocaba’s health secretary, Vinicius Rodrigues, who informed them that a mistake had been made and the children were injected with Covid-19 vaccine.
“My life turned upside down,” the girl’s mother told CNN Brazil about the moment she learnt the news.
The babies were placed in the local Gpaci hospital late on Thursday. They’re now reportedly feeling better, but won’t be able to return home for some time. The local authorities contacted Pfizer and were told that the children should be monitored for the next 10 to 15 days.
The girl and the boy are now being tested every 48 hours, with blood samples taken from them and ultrasound and ECG exams performed. So far, no complications that could’ve been caused by the Covid-19 jab were found. The two will also get their pentavalent vaccines while in hospital.
Health care personnel discovered that the babies got the wrong immunization the day after the injections as they were checking their vaccine stocks. The responsible nurse said she confused the vials because they looked too similar. She had been suspended pending the investigation.
“I know everyone makes mistakes, but a mistake like that is unacceptable,” the affected girl’s mother insisted. “I don't want to punish the nurse, but I want this incident to serve as a warning to other medics and other moms: tell them to double-check what they’re giving to your kids.”