The Department of Health said Monday it was investigating why a nurse failed to push the COVID-19 vaccine from a syringe to a recipient after the video of the incident went viral on social media.
The incident happened in Makati City and was due to "human error" of a volunteer nurse, Mayor Abby Binay said as she apologized for the incident which she said was "immediately corrected" a day after.
In the viral video taken by the vaccine recipient, it can be seen that the healthcare worker failed to push the contents of the syringe, even as the needle was buried in the arm.
Binay said the incident happened on June 25 and the vaccine recipient was given a proper dose the following day.
"We simply ask for understanding from the public. Mahigit isang taon na po na naghihirap at nagtatrabaho ang ating frontliners," Binay said as she appealed for compassion for the volunteer nurse.
'Clear breach'
The health department said it was investigating the incident--a "clear breach of vaccination protocol," and has coordinated with the Makati city government.
It also reminded healthcare workers to "take extra care and attention during inoculation," and assured the public that the agency was improving its COVID-19 vaccination protocol to avoid a repeat of the incident.
“Sinisigurado po namin na ating iimbestigahan ang pangyayaring ito upang mapabuti ang ating national vaccination program. Sa pagdating ng mas maraming bakuna sa bansa, we will continue to improve our speed, scale, and quality of service,” said Health Secretary Francisco Duque III.
As of June 27, the Philippines has administered a total of 10,065,414 COVID-19 vaccine doses. Of those who got inoculated, 7,538,128 got their first dose while 2,527,286 completed the required two doses.
The government is targeting to vaccinate at least 50 million Filipinos by November to achieve its target of population protection.
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