People get the COVID-19 vaccine shot on April 17, 2021, in Nevada, Iowa. According to reports on Nov. 23, 2021, an Iowa hospital administered the wrong dose of COVID-19 vaccines to more than 100 children. (Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune)
(Tribune News Service) — An Iowa hospital admitted to administering the wrong dose of COVID-19 vaccines to more than 100 children.
MercyOne said in a statement that 20 micrograms of the Pfizer vaccine were administered Nov. 20 to children under 12 at a mass vaccination event, The Des Moines Register reported on Wednesday.
They were supposed to each receive 10-microgram doses at the event in Urbandale, about 13 miles northwest of Des Moines.
The accidental dosage — which is still lower than the 30-microgram dose intended for adults — could result in kids experiencing amplified side effects from the shot.
A sore arm, mild fever, fatigue, and headache are among those side effects.
The hospital is "implementing procedures to ensure a similar incident does not happen again," the hospital said in a statement, according to the Register. "MercyOne strongly believes in the safety and efficacy of all COVID-19 vaccines available to eligible age groups."
This is not the first time higher-than-recommended COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered in Iowa.
A since-fired nurse gave nearly 80 inmates at the Fort Madison prison six times the recommended dose of the Pfizer jab in April, according to the paper. Despite intensified side effects, none of the affected individuals' experiences warranted hospitalization, a representative said at the time.
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