2 children in Texas were given adult COVID-19 vaccines 3 times stronger than what they should have been given, one of their parents said
Reuters
- Two Texas children got adult COVID-19 vaccine doses, which is three times stronger, a parent said.
- The shots were given before CDC approved vaccines for kids that age. The FDA had given its approval.
- The local health department said two kids got doses "in error" and that officials are investigating.
Health officials told the parents of two children in Texas that the kids were given adult doses of the coronavirus vaccine, one of the parents said.
Julian Gonzalez, the parent of a six-year-old child who got the Pfizer vaccine, told local news station CBSDFW that the family was at a City of Garland health department pop-up clinic on Sunday so the parents could get their vaccines, when nurses told them that the six-year-old child could also be vaccinated if the parents wanted.
He said that the parents were "were all for it" because of the "confidence" of the nurses, and because a Pfizer consent form that they were asked to sign also said the child was eligible.
They were with a neighboring family, and their seven-year-old son also got the vaccine, CBSDFW reported.
But Gonzalez said that the City of Garland Health Department called the two families on Monday and said that both children had been given adult doses - and that children were not yet supposed to get a coronavirus vaccine of any sort, CBSDFW reported.
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the use of the Pfizer vaccine for children aged between 5 and 11 on Friday, two days before the two children in Texas were vaccinated.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), however, only approved it on Tuesday - two days after the children got the vaccine.
Vaccines are not meant to be administered until approval is granted by the CDC.
The FDA authorized shots that are a third of the strength of adult doses for the 5 to 11 age group.
The City of Garland Health Department confirmed in a statement that "two children under the age of 12 were administered doses of the Pfizer vaccine in error this weekend," according to CBSDFW.
The statement did not acknowledge the dose level.
Gonzalez said: "We found out after the fact that the vials for the children's vaccine should have been different, the needles should have been different…it should have been labeled specifically for kids so…where did that decision come from? Who was it that told them they could go ahead and offer it?"
He said his son had a mild fever and a headache, WRAL reported, and told CBSDFW that he felt fine by Tuesday.
The health department said that its "officials are in communication with the parents of the children involved, who are monitoring the children for side effects."
It also said that it reported the incident to state health officials, who are investigating how it happened.
"The safety and privacy of our patients is always our top priority. Due to patient privacy, we cannot share additional information at this time," it said.
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