Low doses of COVID vaccines given to 3,900 patients, California hospital says

A Northern California hospital gave coronavirus vaccine doses that fell slightly short of the recommended dosage to nearly 4,000 people, medical officials said.

About 3,900 patients at Kaiser Permanente Walnut Creek Medical Center received .01 to .04 ml less than the standard .30 ml dosage of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine between Oct. 25 and Dec. 10, the hospital chain said in a news release.

Experts with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say the shortfall is unlikely to reduce protection against the virus, the release said. But the patients, who are being notified by Kaiser Permanente, can elect to receive a repeat dose of the Pfizer vaccine.

An investigation showed some hospital workers misunderstood proper procedures for drawing vaccine doses, Kaiser said. They have received additional training.

“We sincerely apologize for any concern or inconvenience this may cause for those patients we are contacting,” the news release said.

This story was originally published January 18, 2022 at 12:05 PM with the headline "Low doses of COVID vaccines given to 3,900 patients, California hospital says."