Texas hospital says it gave nurse a second COVID vaccine shot after being accused of FAKING first injection by TV viewers who claimed the syringe plunger did not move
A hospital in Texas has been accused of faking a coronavirus vaccine for a front-line nurse after TV viewers claimed that the syringe didn't move.
Five medical workers at The University Medical Center of El Paso (UMC), were filmed getting the hospital's first immunizations against COVID-19 on Tuesday with TV crews invited to film it.
But 'eagle-eyed' viewers of KTSM 9 News said they spotted a problem with the vaccination of the second nurse.
The syringe plunger appeared to have already been pushed down before the needle was inserted into Ricardo Martinez's arm.
They got in touch with the station to question if the worker got a vaccination at all or if it was staged.
The not-for-profit hospital, which has 394 beds, denied the vaccine was fake or staged but said they would be 'taking a closer look' at the video as well as vaccinating the nurse a second time.
UMC healthcare worker Martinez said afterwards that he was 'honored and privileged to be one of the first ones to get the vaccine.'
He added: 'It feels like a little relief that we're finally gonna get some help, we're gonna get some vaccines. Hopefully, it'll help because it's been a lot of work for everybody.'
Nurse Ricardo Martinez was the second of five health-care worker to receive Pfizer's vaccine at The University Medical Center in El Paso on Tuesday
But TV viewers were concerned that he did not receive a real dose when the syringe plunger appeared to be able the way down before the needle entered his arm
The five nurses from The University Medical Center in El Paso, Texas, pictured at a press conference after receiving some of the first COVI-19 vaccines at the hospital on Tuesday. Ricardo Martinez (far left) was later vaccinated again to 'strengthen confidence' in the vaccine after TV viewer complaints that his dose wasn't real. There were no reported problems with the other vaccinations
UMC was one of several El Paso hospitals to start administering Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine, which began shipping across the US on Sunday.
About 3million doses were sent out from the plant in Michigan on Friday, ready to be administered from Monday onwards.
In a report on their website regarding the footage of the syringe at UMC, KTSM 9 News wrote: 'Some eagle-eyed KTSM 9 News viewers wondered if the worker received the vaccine at all'.
They added that after they contacted the hospital a spokesperson said all five vaccines seen on camera were real but that they would be 'taking a closer look at our video.'
The University Medical Center of El Paso, Texas, started immunising staff and patients on Tuesday but was forced to vaccinate nurse Ricardo Martinez twice after TV viewers claimed he may have got a fake dose
In a statement the hospital said: 'After numerous reports emerged on social media claiming one of the five nurses receiving a vaccination on Tuesday did not receive a full dose of vaccine, we want to remove any doubt raised that he was not fully vaccinated and further strengthen confidence in the vaccination process.'
They added that the nurse was vaccinated a second-time.
'UMC has confirmed with the US Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) that re-vaccinating the nurse will not cause adverse effects', they said.
The nurse will need to return after three weeks to receive his second dose.
Hospital spokesman Ryan Mielke called it 'the light at the end of the tunnel we have all waited for.'
Another nurse, Raul Garcia, said it 'felt good' and was 'almost like a sigh of relief.'
