Pueblo Public Health mistakenly administered an empty syringe to someone instead of a COVID-19 vaccine – KKTV

PUEBLO, Colo. (KKTV) – The Pueblo Department of Public Health and Environment is owning up to a mistake after a nurse accidentally administered an empty syringe to a Colorado resident.

As of Thursday, Pueblo has administered more than 3,500 vaccines to people 70 and older, but one of the people lucky enough to get a shot in the arm had to get a second shot soon after because of the error.

The following statement from Pueblo’s Public Health Director Randy Evetts was sent out Thursday afternoon:

“Safety is the utmost concern for Pueblo [Department] of Public Health and Environment. We confirm that a contract nurse administered an empty syringe to an older Coloradoan, mistakenly thinking it was filled with a vaccine. The syringe was new, and there was no risk of it being used, as used syringes are discarded immediately, per normal safety protocol. The mistake was discovered through PDPHE’s normal safety processes. As soon as the mistake was discovered, we consulted with our top medical officer and determined that the person was safe. The individual then received a vaccination. Although the mistake was isolated to this one case, we have since instituted additional safety measures to ensure this doesn’t happen again- limiting the number of people filling syringes and having fewer additional people in the room. We are reviewing safety protocols with all contracted-nurses again and provide safety briefing each day before the vaccination clinics begin.”

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