This is priceless (DeepL translation):
"One wonders how this could happen. On Tuesday 20 April, 140 people were vaccinated at the Épernay community center against Covid-19 with a saline solution, as reported by our colleagues from France Bleu. Four days later, everyone was called back to be warned of the error, without any health consequences. All the people were vaccinated again on Friday 23 April, this time with the right dose of Pfizer.
The hospital said, this Friday evening, in a statement:
"Tuesday afternoon, April 20, 2021, 140 people received an injection consisting only of saline solution. This injection has no health consequences, however, their vaccination course remains incomplete. Immediately after the incident, on Wednesday morning, April 21, 2021, an analysis of the causes that led to this error was conducted. In order to secure the vaccination process, a health executive was assigned to reinforce the pre-existing safety procedures. As a result, vaccination continues and appointments are being kept. As of Thursday, April 22, 2021, the 140 people who did not receive their dose of Pfizer vaccine following the incident were contacted again to inform them of the situation and offer them a new appointment on Friday, April 23, 2021 or Wednesday, April 28, 2021. During this call, they had the opportunity to speak with a physician to answer any questions they may have. For these rescheduled vaccination appointments, a dedicated circuit will be offered to those affected."
Latest update:
"What happened in Épernay to cause 140 people to receive a dose of saline instead of Pfizer vaccine?
No answer from the authorities, who prefer to keep mute. (...)
A monumental and still unexplained failure.
Whoever they are, the rare spokespersons who accepted to answer our questions remained particularly evasive. As if the omerta added to the incomprehension.
I can only regret this situation," said Pierre N'Gahane, Prefect of the Marne. It is all the more unfortunate that it occurs in the middle of a vaccination campaign. Like everyone else, I am surprised that such an incident could have occurred.
How could the same mistake be repeated so often? The Director General of the University Hospital of Reims, to which the Auban-Moët Hospital of Épernay belongs, has initiated an administrative investigation to understand how this material error was made. Which I am unable to tell you, the health field of the vaccine campaign not being my responsibility. "
However, several sources have confirmed that
representatives of the Marne prefecture and the Health Regional Agency (ARS) had met yesterday morning in conciliation ... agreeing in particular not to let anything filter. To explain how one hundred and forty people found themselves vaccinated with saline solution would be, to say the least, essential.
And other questions abound:
who is in charge of preparing the injections used at the Sparnaccian vaccination center? What happened to the Pfizer vaccine bottles in which the 140 syringes should have been immersed? Is it the first time that such an error occurs on the territory? Is it harmful to be injected with saline? What are the reasons for using it?
Some of our interlocutors, wishing to remain anonymous, gave us some answers. "Pfizer vaccine needs to be reconstituted. "Saline is injected into each vial, from which six to seven doses are drawn. (...)
While [the Health Regional Agency] indicates that "the establishment immediately reinforced its protocol to guarantee the safety, quality, continuity and traceability of vaccinations, as well as controls, in order to prevent this type of malfunction from happening again,"
it does not provide any explanation of the facts.
Some of the people we spoke to put forward hypotheses: "The Épernay vaccination center had just opened. Perhaps its organization and teams were not sufficiently well established? ". Or: "Could the mistake have been made during a shift change?
Even the people giving of their time to this new vaccination center have met a brick wall. "We tried to find out what could have happened, but even we could not get any information. (...) "