Dutch woman accidentally gets Covid vaccine, instead of test

A woman from Lansingerland was called to get tested for the coronavirus, but instead ended up getting vaccinated against the virus. A combination of the woman not reading the letter she received properly and employees of the GGD location at Rotterdam The Hague Airport not checking her data, resulted in her jumping the population-long line for a vaccination, Rijnmond reported.

The woman only scanned her appointment confirmation and was herself convinced that she had an appointment to be vaccinated, not tested, GGD Rotterdam-Rijnmond said to the regional broadcaster. When she arrived at the GGD location, the employees took her at her word and sent her to the vaccination hall, instead of the test hall.

At the registration desk in the vaccination hall, the woman was asked to show her appointment confirmation, but turned out not to have it on her. The desk clerk searched for the confirmation on the computer system, but it was running slowly, and to not hold up the line, they sent her through.

Immediately after the woman received her shot, and the details were entered into the system, the mistake was noticed. But it was too late to take back. A doctor checked her over and her appointment for the second dose was scheduled.

The GGD is shocked that this happened, a spokesperson said to Rijnmond. "If the registration was carried out more carefully, the vaccination wouldn't have happened,' they said. "It shows how how important it is that all steps must be taken carefully. We have taken steps to prevent this in the future."

The Netherlands is vaccinating the population against the coronavirus in stages. Currently only care workers, residents of long-term care institutions, and the elderly are being vaccinated.