THE Department of Health (DOH) is investigating reported incidents of vaccinees receiving different brands of vaccines for their first and second dose in Davao Region.
Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said in a virtual presser on Thursday, July 29, 2021, that based on their initial information, the healthcare worker who administered the vaccine merely made a mistake.
“Iniimbestigahan natin ito sa ngayon, what really happened. Pero based sa initial information na naibigay sa atin, mukhang talagang error ng healthcare worker at ito naman ay hindi nila itinago. Sabi nila they mistook that vaccine for the vaccine na kailangan dapat iturok (We are investigating right now what really happened. But based on initial information reported to us, the healthcare worker committed an error, and they did not hide this anyway. They said they mistook the vaccine for the vaccine that was supposed to be administered),” Vergeire said.
DOH-Davao Director Dr. Annabelle Yumang said at least two individuals in Davao Region have received different brands of vaccine for their second dose.
"Ang rason sa staff, ma-mislook niya (The staff mislooked the administering of the vaccine)," Yumang said.
She said the vaccination site must submit an incident report, which as of Friday they are still waiting to receive, as they are currently monitoring the individuals who were jabbed with two different brands of vaccines for adverse reactions.
"Dili gyud nato ni tugutan. Apan nahitabo naman ni siya. Maong naa gyud siya'y (We do not allow it. But since it already happened, that is why we required them to submit an) incident report," the official said.
The DOH-Davao head said they hope this would be the last time for such an incident.
Yumang said vaccine mixing is not allowed, as there are still no existing DOH guidelines about it.
Meanwhile, Vergeire said there is a need to retrain vaccinators, especially in areas where the mistake happened, to avoid repeating it.
DOH has not disclosed the exact location where the incident happened.
Covid-19 Task Force spokesperson Dr. Michelle Schlosser said they have not received reports that the incident happened in the city.
Researchers are currently studying the efficacy of the vaccine mixing.