Almost 900 persons were given expired Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines at a Times Square vaccination facility, report claims. The New York City Health Department contacted Pfizer, which stated that the patients should be given another dosage as soon as possible.
"While there is no risk to the patients, the re-administration is being done to ensure that they are adequately protected. Those patients have been contacted by email, phone calls, and letters to ensure they are aware of the situation," a representative for the Health Department stated, as per WPIX11.
Emergency warning sent to 899 people over expired COVId-19 vaccines
ATC Healthcare Services ran a pop-up facility where the dosages were given. According to an official, ATC Healthcare Services has been replaced as the site's provider.
The operator of the pop-up COVID vaccination facility at Times Square's former "NFL Experience" building sent an emergency warning to 899 people, notifying them that they had been administered with expired Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines. The company advised the patients that they needed another shot because it cannot guarantee the efficacy of the dosage they had received.
"We're contacting you about the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine you got on June 5-10, 2021, at the NFL Experience vaccination site in Times Square. It was discovered after the vaccination was provided that it had been in the freezer for longer than the permitted time range prior to being administered," David Savitsky wrote in an email to patients, as per The New York Post.
After receiving an email and a phone call from ATC Healthcare about the mistake, the father of two teen girls who were given the incorrect doses last week was furious. The source, who did not want to be identified, also asked how many additional people had received expired COVID-19 shots.
Officials: Expired COVID-19 shots have no "adverse effects"
ATC called the city Health Department and the New York City Vaccine Command Center and declared "there should be no adverse health implications from the vaccine previously taken." To be fully protected against coronavirus, patients must get two Pfizer or Moderna doses. One dosage of the Johnson & Johnson vaccination is required.
Patients may get the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccination at any site that provides it, including pharmacies and other medical providers, as per Savitsky. ATC Healthcare's Times Square vaccination center was still accepting appointments and walk-ins via the city's website.
When a Post reporter inquired about the defective COVID-19 shots, a supervisor at the Time Square site refused to answer. According to Mayor Bill de Blasio's office, municipal officials promptly replaced ATC Healthcare as the Times Square vaccination operator with a new supplier after learning about the mistake.
A City Hall official said 899 individuals need to be revaccinated, but no other appointments at the Times Square facility need to be canceled. According to Fox 5 New York, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine requires two doses spaced to be given about three weeks apart.
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