3-year-old in Brandon, Man., mistakenly given adult COVID-19 vaccine

Jenna Bardarson says her three-year-old daughter, Dali, is vibrant and healthy.

To make sure she stays that way, the Brandon, Man., mom booked regular annual flu shots on Nov. 24 for herself and her daughter at Brandon's Keystone Centre.

But she says she got more than she asked for.

"We went in there to get our flu shots, and instead of getting our flu shots they gave us both adult Pfizer vaccines," Bardarson said.

The Keystone Centre is also home to one of the province's COVID-19 vaccination supersites.

A pediatric version of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, which is one-third the dosage of the version for those age 12 and up, was recently approved for use in kids ages five to 11.

But children under five — like Dali — are not eligible for any of the COVID-19 vaccines available right now.  

As for Jenna Bardarson, she's had two COVID-19 vaccine doses and isn't due for her third until January.

She was shocked when a health-care provider told her a mistake was made.

"I was concerned about … my daughter as we were starting to have side-effects and stuff," she said. "I really was kind of angry and wanted to speak to someone."

Bardarson says both she and her daughter had fevers and headaches. Dali started vomiting a few days after they got the shots.

Over a week later, Bardarson says still hasn't been able to get an answer from health officials about how the vaccine they were mistakenly given could impact her health, or her daughter's.

Bardardson says she doesn't want her experience to deter others from getting vaccines, but encourages them to ask questions.

"If you are going in and taking your child or even yourself in just a flu shot … double-check with your health-care provider or whoever is doing it just make sure they have the right medication," she said.