The Public Health Promotion Center at the University of Massachusetts administered excess vaccines to students gathered at the clinic on Tuesday after accidentally drawing 40 extra doses throughout the day, according to University officials.
“Once a vial is open, it must be administered, so the staff made sure the vaccines were put to effective use,” said Ed Blaguszewski, a University spokesperson. “Our staff made a mistake in drawing additional doses, and upon realizing the error took the prompt and appropriate action to make sure the vaccines were put to good use.”
Some students gathered in the basement of the Campus Center at the end of the day, hoping to get a leftover vaccine resulting from a no-show appointment. Generally, though, there is a very limited supply. “On a typical day, the PHPC reports that about one to eight extra doses are available at day’s end based partly on no-shows as well as vials opened to fulfill appointments,” Blaguzewski said.
At around 6:30 p.m., a line of about 25 to 30 students had gathered near the entrance to the vaccine clinic, according to Kyle O’Connor, a sophomore communications major.
“A woman came out and told all of us that there would be some extra vaccines and that those who were eligible under phase two would be prioritized,” O’Connor said. “Then she returned about 10 minutes later and said that they had about 40 extra vaccines so we were all able to get vaccinated.”
Danielle Efrat, a sophomore art history major who was vaccinated with one of the excess vaccines, marveled at her luck. “I genuinely believe that if I went another day, I probably wouldn’t have gotten it,” she said. “The person giving me my vaccine said they usually have only one extra.”
Jack Sheehy, a senior political science major, was one of the first to be vaccinated with the excess vaccines because he met one of the criteria for eligibility. “I work for the federal court system as an intern which technically makes me a ‘court worker.’”
Blaguzewski said that this type of error was uncommon. “To date, our dedicated PHPC staff has administered more than 14,500 vaccines to protect public health, and this is the only time such a miscalculation has occurred.”
Sophia Gardner can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @sophieegardnerr.
