The matter is now being investigated by Healthcare Australia, who employed the doctor and is implementing the vaccine rollout.
Initially, Health Minister Greg Hunt was told the doctor had completed the training, but later in the day, he received a correction from Healthcare Australia.
In the correction, Healthcare Australia said all other healthcare professionals have received the training, but that is hardly reassuring considering this latest incident.
The doctor has been stood down and is no longer involved in the vaccine rollout.
The residents who received the higher than the recommended dose of the COVID-19 vaccine are showing no adverse effects from the error.
The 88-year-old man and a 94-year-old woman were taken to hospital, and Health Minister Greg Hunt said, “Both patients are showing no signs at all of an adverse reaction.”
The medication error was picked up when a nurse intervened.
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk praised the nurse’s actions and said her intervention prevented more errors from being made.
Hunt said, “I want to thank her for her strength of character and her professionalism.”
Palaszczuk said it was “very concerning” the incident occurred on Tuesday morning, but that Queensland authorities were not informed until late on Tuesday night.
“Discovering these details now is simply not good enough,” she said.
Aged Care Minister Greg Hunt said it was important to be transparent about the incident.
“Basically a doctor gave an incorrect dose to two patients yesterday,” he said. “It’s important we’re upfront.”
Hunt said the incident also proves the three safeguards that have been put in place “immediately kicked into action”.
“Firstly, the nurse on scene responded,” he said. “Secondly, the company responded, and thirdly, the health care agencies, the co-operation between the Commonwealth and Queensland responded.”
A statement from St Vincent’s Care Services, which runs Holy Spirit Nursing home in Brisbane’s Carseldine, where the incident occurred, said residents and families were distressed.
They questioned the training and expertise of the clinicians engaged by Healthcare Australia.
Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly told reporters that patients were given higher doses of the vaccine in clinical trials, without creating significant side effects.
He said they were also aware of similar incidents in aged care facilities overseas, with minimal side effects.
Kelly said similar errors were also made early in the vaccine rollouts in Germany and the UK, and the side effects were “minimal”.
“That gives us hope,” Kelly said. “However, when we were notified of this yesterday evening … we took immediate action,” he said.
Just because it happened overseas too is totally irrelevant.
Nurses stop Drs from making mistakes all the time but are often sent to ‘Coventry’ for daring to challenge a Dr.
It’s not rocket science that each bottle contains 4 doses!!!!!
Having nursed in acute and Aged Care for over 50 years, I am disgusted by Drs such as this man.