Measure was taken after 78 people belonging to the Oreamuno Health Area, Pacayas, Tierra Blanca received the second dose diluted in a serum of purified water other than that recommended by the manufacturing company.
Seventy people from the Salud Oreamuno Health Area, Pacayas, Tierra Blanca will receive a third dose of the COVID-19 vaccine due to an error in the immunization.
As explained by the Costa Rican Social Security Fund (CCSS), the measure was taken after 78 people belonging to this health area received the second dose diluted in a serum of purified water other than that recommended by the manufacturing company.
According to the regular procedure, the vaccine is dissolved in sterile water with a very small percentage of salt (saline serum) and the procedural error consisted in applying it in doses dissolved in sterile water with a very small percentage of sugar (glucose serum), which it does not harm health, the institution indicated through a press release.
After the events, a technical team analyzed the situation and deemed it convenient to offer users a booster dose of the vaccine given that the change in the dissolution of the vaccine could reduce its effect.
“As the serum change occurred in the second doses, we knew that people had had a high immune response with the first vaccine and what was in doubt is whether the second dose in a different solution could have affected the vaccine stimulating the immune system. in all its potential ”, said the immunologist and director of the National Children’s Hospital, Olga Arguedas, on behalf of the expert team.
This week each of them was contacted to offer an apology and explain the specialists’ recommendation to receive a third dose.
According to this Friday’s report, seventy people accepted the new dose, of which 47 have already been given and 23 have a scheduled application. In addition, seven people are going to take a few days to make the decision and another was reported as recently deceased from causes other than COVID-19.
“It is important to tell the neighbors that all the people to whom the booster was recommended were contacted, therefore, if you are from the health area and were not contacted, it is because your vaccine was properly administered” says the doctor Randall Asenjo Rockbrand, director of the health area.
The Fund indicated that these types of situations are common in massive vaccination programs and are called programmatic incidents. Most of these incidents occur without direct impact on the health of users; however, the cases must be rigorously analyzed in the light of scientific evidence to guarantee the effectiveness of the vaccines applied.
The person who detected the change in the dissolution liquid immediately reported it to his superiors. This error in the vaccine preparation procedure opened an administrative investigation that is ongoing and whose analysis included the entire vaccination process in the health area, from the preparation of supplies to the moment it is applied.
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