SINGAPORE – The Singapore Expert Committee on Covid-19 Vaccination does not expect any safety issues from the Moderna vaccine erroneously administered here on a 16-year-old, when it is only authorised for use in the republic for individuals aged 18 and above.
In a statement issued late yesterday, the committee said the medical team will consult it on what is best for the youth for the completion of the vaccination.
The committee said data from a trial involving more than 3,700 adolescents aged 12 to 17 has found that the Moderna Covid-19 vaccine is safe and effective among adolescents, with no significant safety issues.
“The majority of adverse events were mild or moderate in severity, and the common ones were injection site pain, headache, fatigue, muscle aches and chills,” it said.
It added that it will continue to closely monitor global evidence and developments on Covid-19 vaccines, in particular emerging data on the efficacy and safety of vaccine use for more population subgroups, as more people are vaccinated globally and locally.
Meanwhile, in a joint statement issued early today, Health and Education Ministries said the youth was administered the first dose of the Moderna vaccine at Kolam Ayer Community Club Vaccination Centre yesterday.
“The error was discovered on site, when vaccination centre staff identified that the individual was under 18 years of age during the post-vaccination observation period.
“As an additional precaution, he was placed under a longer observation time of 50 minutes, and remains generally well,” said the ministries.
Their investigations found that the individual’s date of birth had been erroneously entered when booking a vaccination appointment after receiving a sign-up link.
“This resulted in his age being incorrectly registered as above 18 years of age, making it possible for a Moderna vaccination centre to be selected.
“The vaccination centre staff had failed to verify his age during registration, which should have been carried out,” said the ministries.
The statement noted that the safety of those receiving the vaccination is of utmost priority and both the ministries are taking a serious view of the incident.
“We apologise for the inconvenience and anxiety caused, and have reached out to the youth’s parents to explain the situation,” said the ministries.
A thorough review of the internal processes at vaccination sites has been carried out by the Health Ministry to prevent a recurrence.
“This includes strengthening our online registration process to ensure individuals make appointments at suitable vaccination centres based on their eligibility, as well as putting in place more stringent protocols at our vaccination sites to verify eligibility.” – Bernama, June 4, 2021
