An infectious disease specialist in Hong Kong said today that a man who was mistakenly given two COVID-19 jabs on the same day might experience more side effects than usual, but his condition should not be too worrying.
Hong Kong's Department of Health said the man, 66, had been admitted to hospital after receiving two BioNTech jabs at a community vaccination centre in Tuen Mun.
Officials said today they were notified of the incident yesterday afternoon.
Andrew Wong, an honorary associate professor at Chinese University, said while the dose the man was given was higher than usual, it was not a "super dose".
Wong pointed out that each BioNTech jab contains 30 microgrammes of vaccine, but 100-microgramme shots were also tested in trials.
However, the man might experience more side effects than normal, he said.
"Theoretically, there might be an increase in adverse reaction, like pain in the arm, fever and also fatigue, which usually last for one to two days for a normal dose. So we need to observe the patient, to see whether [he experiences] more reaction or for a more prolonged duration," Wong said.
The expert added that the shots shouldn't affect the man's reported high blood pressure and cholesterol level and he will still need another dose in 21 days' time.
"The second dose for most people is for [achieving a] booster effect. It is to make the immune response last longer," Wong said.
"So [the third dose] is still needed despite that this man had a double dose."
Meanwhile, the operator of the Tuen Mun vaccination centre, Human Health Associate, said one of its nurses had made a "procedural error" and he had since been relieved of his duties.
The group, which was to submit a report on the incident to the authorities, said it would closely monitor all medical procedures to ensure safety.
Meanwhile, the Health Department yesterday reported five imported novel coronavirus cases, four of them involving the mutant Delta (L452R) strain.
Those who tested positive for the mutant strain are two people from Switzerland who were being quarantined in a Tsim Sha Tsui hotel, as well as arrivals from South Korea and Singapore.
A 38-year-old man from South Korea was the only one with symptoms.
The fifth case involved a man who came here from Thailand.
Health officials also said there were fewer than five preliminary positive cases.
Hong Kong last reported a locally transmitted infection a week ago.
The city has confirmed 12,025 confirmed cases since the beginning of the pandemic, according to official figures. Its COVID-19 death toll stood at 212 yesterday, according to worldometers.info. – RTHK, MPD
