Shooting Straight With a Full Dose: The Hougang Vaccine Mishap
Everyone knows the routine of a COVID shot—just five minute sweet, no drama. But on September 15, two adults at a clinic in Hougang found themselves on the wrong side of the protocol when the entire vial of the undiluted Pfizer‑BioNTech vaccine was handed over to them.
What Happened?
- Full Vial Alert: A single vial, which usually yields five separate doses, was mistakenly administered all at once.
- One Stays Calm, One Scores: One of the patients bounced into the hospital due to a sharp headache and an uptick in heart rate, only to leave the doors behind after recovery. The other remained perfectly fine, no side‑effects in sight.
- “We’ve Got Your Back”: The Ministry of Health (MOH) swung into action on September 19, nodding you in that both were treated at ProHealth Medical Group @ Hougang.
MOH’s Crunch‑Time Response
- We’re Not Playing: Investigation In‑Progress — The MOH is pulling the plug on the clinic and doctor in question, putting them on a strict hold from the national vaccination programme.
- Full Suspension, Full Support — Safety is first, folks. Until further notice, the team’s off the front line.
What You Need to Know if You Think You Got the Wrong Dose
- Quick Check: If you feel oddly jittery or your heart’s doing the cha‑cha after a shot, give the MOH a holler.
- Don’t Rush in Panic: Contact your doctor first, and if they’re cool, call the MOH hotline. It’s better under a watchful eye than leaving it to your gut.
- Been Here? No Mention: So far, the hospitalised patient was discharged already. No extra rounds are required for such incidents at present.
Past “Oops” Moments in the Vaccine World
- Eye‑Central Incident — A staff member at the Singapore National Eye Centre got five doses in one jab on January 14. Turns out a mix‑up in person‑to‑person communication led to the wrong inject.
- Polyclinic Congestion — Between October 20 and 22, a cluster of 117 people at Bukit Merah Polyclinic received an eerily low dose—just about 10% of what’s standard—multiple times. The culprit? Misreading numbers on brand new syringes.
Bottom Line
Not a cause for panic, but definitely a wake‑up call that even in the most trimmed‑down health systems mistakes happen—and they’re addressed quickly.
Keep your vaccine appointment on schedule, notify your doctor if you feel off, and you’ll be good to go. Here’s to fewer drama in your COVID wardrobe and looking forward to normalcy again.