Has CDC provided clinical guidance on what to do if an error occurs while administering COVID-19 vaccinations?

Yes. CDC has published an appendix to its interim clinical considerations for the use of COVID-19 vaccines to address a wide range of errors in vaccine administration. It includes a detailed table outlining actions to take after an error has occurred: www.cdc.gov/vaccines/covid-19/clinical-considerations/interim-considerations-us-appendix.html#appendix-b.

Categories of errors covered in the CDC table include:

• Site/route
• Age
• Product and dosage
• Incorrect intervals
• Interchanging product types when not recommended
• Incorrect diluent (certain Pfizer-BioNTech formulations)
• Use of diluent when not indicated

Ask the Experts refers our readers to this CDC table for the most current and comprehensive guidance on COVID-19 vaccine administration errors and how to manage them. For all vaccine administration errors, take the following steps: inform the patient of the error, report the error to VAERS (https://vaers.hhs.gov) unless CDC’s guidance states that the error does not need to be reported, evaluate why the error occurred, and implement strategies to prevent future errors.