The nurse who was accused of reusing syringes while giving flu shots at a New Jersey pharmaceutical company earlier this year also committed several other blunders during the inoculations -- including splitting 20 doses across 67 patients, according to the Centers for Disease Control.
The CDC said that it uncovered the errors during an investigation into the conduct of the nurse, who was contracted through TotalWellness, during a trip to Otsuka Pharmaceutical in West Windsor to inoculate employees on Sept. 30.
The CDC said that in addition to reusing three dosing syringes she had among her supplies at home, she split two 10-dose vials of the vaccine across the nearly 70 employees. And the under-dosing wasn’t the only problem: the CDC said that patients should each be dosed with separate, pre-filled syringes instead of via multi-dose vials.
The nurse also improperly stored the vaccine before going to the office, the CDC revealed. The vials were shipped directly to her house, where she stored them in her kitchen's refrigerator -- which can't closely monitor temperatures.
Then, when she took the vials to the office, she transported them in a plastic foam container on ice. The CDC recommends the vaccine be transported directly to a vaccination site or transported there in a portable refrigerator made to regulate temperatures closely.
The CDC's revelations come after the nurse's license was temporarily suspended. It's not clear when the suspension will be lifted.
Health officials in New Jersey told NJ.com that none of the employees at Otsuka Pharmaceutical have contracted any illnesses and continue to be monitored. The site was unable to reach the nurse for comment.
