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Sorocaba City Hall confirms that babies received Covid-19 vaccine by mistake

The Municipality of Sorocaba, in the interior of São Paulo, released a statement this Sunday (5) in which it confirms that two babies received vaccine against Covid-19 by mistake. The babies were taken to a health unit, on Thursday (2), to receive the vaccine known as pentavalent, which protects against diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, hepatitis C and the haemophilius type B bacteria.

According to the city, the Secretary of Health, Dr. Vinicius Rodrigues, visited the family to inform them about what had happened and offered all the necessary assistance from the network.

The city hall’s note also informs that the city’s Health Department contacted the state’s Epidemiological Surveillance Center, the Ministry of Health and the vaccine manufacturer, and the orientation of the consulted institutions was that the children remain in observation from 10 to 15 days. The babies were then referred to the local Gpaci hospital for observation.

The city says it opened a Disciplinary Administrative Proceeding (PAD) to investigate the conduct. For the time being, the nursing technician, who carried out the application, was removed from the injectable procedure room, until the assessment and verification of the measures to be taken.

Fever and vomiting

Ana Cláudia Mugnos Riello, micro-entrepreneur and mother of Liz Vitória, 2 months old, told CNN Brasil who went to UBS Nova Sorocaba on the 1st for consultation and application of the vaccine, according to the schedule. The nurse then wrote down Liz’s information in the medical record, took the weak ones, prepared the vaccine and applied it.

Hours later, the baby started having a high fever. The mother gave medicine but it didn’t get better, and then Liz started vomiting nonstop and the fever wouldn’t stop. So the next day, on Thursday (2), Ana Cláudia went to the emergency of another health center. The child was medicated and the mother heard from the doctor that it was a natural reaction to the vaccine, thinking about the pentavalent.

On the same day, and Liz still showing no improvement, the mother received a call from the health unit asking her to return to the site with the argument that they had marked a wrong information on her daughter’s vaccination card. She said she couldn’t go, but they insisted she had to go that day.

Once there, the attendant took the baby’s wallet, without saying anything, and after 1 hour of waiting and charging for an explanation, she received the answer that a professional would talk to her. So, Ana Cláudia tells that she was taken to a room at the back of the clinic, where she was received by a doctor, nurses and staff. “I suspected the wrong vaccine. My blood pressure went up, the blood glucose went down and I started to feel sick while I asked for information”, she says.

The nurse asked her to calm down and said they were waiting for the health secretary. He was the one who broke the news to Ana Cláudia that, instead of applying the pentavalent vaccine, they applied Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine. “Then I was groundless, my life turned upside down.”

The baby was sent to hospital and has been doing well since then. According to the mother, Liz will be under observation for seven days, performing tests every 48 hours to monitor, as directed by Pfizer. Tests include head ultrasounds and electrocardiograms. So far, no exam performed showed any changes.

“I know everyone makes mistakes, but a mistake like that is unacceptable. I don’t want to harm the nurse, but I want this to serve as a warning to other health professionals and other mothers: ask them to confirm what they are applying to your child”, said Ana Cláudia.

swollen legs and crying

The other baby who got the wrong vaccine was 4-month-old Miguel. The mother Kethillyn Fernanda also took her son on the 1st, at the same health unit that Ana Cláudia and Liz went to, for a routine consultation and application of vaccines provided for in the calendar. Miguel was attended by the same nurse.

On the same day, says Kethillyn, both of the baby’s legs swelled up, and he couldn’t move and cried. He also had a high fever. “Medicine and bath didn’t solve it. She did not accept milk and started vomiting”, says the mother, who interpreted it as a reaction to the vaccine, as the nurse said there would be.

The next day, at night, the health secretary went to Kethillyn’s house to report the nurse’s mistake. “I had no reaction.” Then, a city hall car took the baby to hospital. Arriving at the hospital, Miguel would have started frothing and his mouth turned purple and it was difficult to breathe, he reports. But now he is doing well and continues to be monitored.

Reference: CNN Brasil

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