Too much COVID-19 vaccine given to dozens of inmates in Iowa: report

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More than 70 inmates at a correctional facility in Iowa were given too much COVID-19 vaccine, according to a local report. 

At least 77 inmates at the Iowa State Prison in Fort Madison were given excessive amounts of the Pfizer-BioNTech jab, a spokesperson for the Iowa Department of Corrections told local news station KCCI-TV. 

Two medical staff members from the Iowa Department of Corrections reportedly incorrectly administered the vaccine, over-vaccinating the 77 inmates. Both have since been placed on administrative leave, per KCCI, and the department has temporarily halted vaccinations at the prison while an investigation is underway. 

After realizing the incorrect doses, the Iowa Department of Corrections contacted both Pfizer and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for further guidance. Officials were advised to monitor the inmates for at least 48 hours. They will also receive wellness checks over the next several days, though no major side effects have been reported or are expected, per the news station. 

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If anything, the inmates who receive the incorrect dose should expect slightly more intense side effects from the vaccine, such as body aches, headaches and fever, one doctor explained to KCCI. 

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"Those minor side effects that usually happen with vaccination could be a little more when you get a higher dose of a vaccine," Dr. Anesa Afroze, an infectious disease specialist at MercyOne in Des Moines, told the news station."That's kind of expected."

A spokesperson for the Iowa Department of Corrections did not immediately return Fox News’ request for comment.