Local authorities have reported that eight German care home workers have accidentally been given five doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. They have suffered no serious side effects so far.

Coronavirus vaccine overdose

Eight employees, seven women and one man, at a retirement home in the town of Stralsund in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, have been accidentally injected with five doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. As employees of a care home, the eight were designated part of the priority group that would be among the first to receive the vaccine, which started rolling in Germany two weekends ago.

The administrator of the district where the facility is located, Stefan Kerth, said that the eight were immediately informed of the error. “I deeply regret this incident,” he said and insisted that the mistake was an isolated incident and down to human error. Four of the employees were taken to hospital with mild, flu-like symptoms. The others were sent home.

Higher doses should be safe

Before the rollout of the vaccine, which is part of Germany's current plans for fighting the spread of the coronavirus, BioNTech said that larger doses had been administered during trials, with no serious side effects recorded. The vaccine, which is designed to be administered in two doses, is being delivered in vials that contain five doses once diluted. However, a spokesperson for the ministry of health said that the vials can be diluted to give up to six doses.