Manitoba Health says mother and three-year-old given COVID-19 vaccine by mistake
Manitoba Health says a mother and her three-year-old were each mistakenly given an adult dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine instead of a flu shot.
The department says in a statement that the error happened Nov. 24 in Brandon, which is located in the Prairie Mountain Health region in western Manitoba.
Manitoba Health says the mother was told what happened after the fact and was given information about the risks, which it adds are low.
The department could not confirm if it was the first time someone was given a COVID-19 vaccine by mistake but did say medication errors do occur, although rarely.
The statement adds that the person who immunized the mother and daughter recognized and reported the error to a supervisor and no further action will be taken against that person.
Manitoba Health says staff from the health region have reached out to the family to discuss what happened as well as to provide an update on an investigation into the error.
"Patient safety is a critical aspect of all health-care services in Manitoba. We are constantly reviewing our processes to ensure that our systems support our staff in preventing errors," the department said in the statement Friday.
"In this case ... our team reviewed the existing processes to make adjustments that would help avoid a similar error from occurring in the future."
A representative for Prairie Mountain Health referred all questions to Manitoba Health.
Health Canada said it is not in charge of immunization monitoring and could not comment on whether the error has occurred in other parts of the country.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 3, 2021.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
He didn't trust police but sought their help anyway. Two days later, he was dead
Jameek Lowery was among more than 330 Black people who died after police stopped them with tactics that aren’t supposed to be deadly, like physical restraint and use of stun guns, The Associated Press found.
Fluid in eye cells can 'boil' if you watch the eclipse without protection: expert
Millions of people in parts of Eastern and Atlantic Canada will be able to see the rare solar eclipse happening on April 8. But they should only look up if they have proper eye protection, experts say.
Ontario urges mpox testing amid spike in cases
Ontario health officials are urging public health units to test for mpox, the viral disease formerly known as monkeypox, amid a spike of confirmed cases in the province.
NEW More unauthorized products for skin, sexual enhancement, recalled: Here are the recalls of this week
Health Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency recalled various items this week, including torches, beef biltong and unauthorized products related to skin care and sexual enhancement.
Where is the worst place for allergy sufferers in Canada?
The spring allergy season has started early in many parts of Canada, with high levels of pollen in some cities already. Experts weigh in on which areas have it worse so far this season.
Do these exercises for core strength if you can't stomach doing planks
Planks are one of the most effective exercises for strengthening your midsection, as they target all of your major core muscles: the transverse abdominis, rectus abdominis, external obliques and internal obliques. Yet despite the popularity of various 10-minute plank challenges, planking is actually one of the most dreaded core exercises, according to many fitness experts.
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
'Don't expect any deals:' Expert says stores may not offer steep discounts on post-Easter chocolate
Those looking to snap up cheap treats at their local grocery store next week following the Easter long weekend could be in for a bit of a surprise as the rising cost of cocoa continues to drive up the price of chocolate, one expert says.