A Vancouver adolescent was one of 12 who received the Moderna vaccine instead of the Pfizer vaccine.

A teen from Vancouver is sharing her tale after a nurse gave her the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine instead of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, which is the only one licensed for children under the age of 18 in Canada. Noora Alenezi, 13, was so eager to obtain the COVID-19 vaccine that she made an appointment as soon as the Pfizer vaccination for youngsters aged 12 to 17 was approved by health regulators.

When she came with her mother and brother to the Vancouver Convention Centre for her appointment, the nurse providing her shot informed her that she was getting the Moderna vaccine.

"I assumed she knew more than we did," Noora Alenezi explained. "I was under the impression that had been approved before we arrived." Noora and her mother, Faiezah Alenzi, say the nurse didn't seem to remember that youngsters should only have the Pfizer vaccine until she was going to deliver it to her 14-year-old brother.

The nurse and her team allegedly panicked and apologized, admitting the nurse had given the wrong vaccine. Faiezah acknowledges that mistakes happen, and she appreciates the work done by Vancouver Coastal Health, but she believes that people delivering the vaccine should be more cautious.

"I was very concerned and upset," she explained. "This isn't a little blunder."Noora wasn't the only adolescent who received the wrong vaccine last week, according to Vancouver Coastal Health in a written statement. Moderna was given to 12 children instead of Pfizer-BioNTech.

According to the health authority, teenagers went to immunization clinics for the first time this week, and Moderna was the primary vaccination available at the time. Moderna has not been approved for use among Canadian teenagers aged 12 to 17, but medical health officials feel it is not dangerous to youngsters in that age bracket, according to VCH.

Despite this, the health authority claims it has implemented additional procedures to ensure the error does not occur again. This includes new questions as part of the registration screening process and, where possible, Pfizer stations dedicated to youth. The Moderna vaccination is safe for teens, according to Dr. Brian Conway, medical director of the Vancouver Infectious Disease Centre.

Although the Moderna study on the vaccine's effectiveness in children has yet to be finished, preliminary data indicate that it is safe and effective, according to Conway. The assurance gives Noora and her mother some peace of mind, but they still want to see greater safeguards in place to protect kids like her.

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