Ontario Saugeen First Nations Residents Received Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccine Expired For Weeks

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OTTAWA – Indigenous Services Canada gave residents of an Ontario First Nation 71 expired doses of the Pfizer vaccine for COVID-19 between August 9 and September 15.

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According to a statement from Saugeen First Nation, the federal department nurses administered doses based on the expiration date on the vials, not realizing that the doses had already expired because they were not refrigerated.

The First Nation says the shipment was received in July and originally expired in October.

But because the vials were thawed, they were in effect for only 31 days, until August 9. The new expiration date was noted on the box but not on the individual vials, in accordance with Indian Services protocol.

While expired doses do not pose a health risk, the Saugeen First Nation’s COVID-19 response team said the error could affect the livelihoods of some residents while they wait for another dose.

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In a brief statement during a conference call with reporters, the Indian Services medical director said the government is working with public health officials in Ontario to determine when to administer the new doses.

While some people may have received their dose one day after it was due, others may have received theirs weeks later.

Now healthcare workers must assess each person’s situation and their medical conditions to determine when to get vaccinated again, explained medical director Dr. Tom Wong.

So far there has been at least one attempt to contact each of the affected people, he said.

Wong did not respond to follow-up questions and said more information will be available next week.

Canada’s chief medical officer, Dr. Theresa Tam, had no direct knowledge of the incident, but said any venture as massive as the vaccine launch in Canada is sure to run into trouble.

Still, she encouraged community members and Indian Services to sit down together and discuss what went wrong.

“It is true that sometimes these incidents lead to a lack of trust, which is already very difficult to generate,” Tam said at a press conference on Friday. “I think everyone should come to the table with an open mind to seek preventive measures for next time.”

Reference-torontosun.com

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