A Sydney nurse says she was sacked for giving leftover doses of Pfizer vaccine to her daughter and two nephews instead of ‘squirting them in the bin’.
Grandmother Kirstin Peterson, 67, was working for Healthcare Australia at an aged care facility and had three doses of the prized jab left over at the end of the day.
Each vial contains five doses of the vaccine, but if remaining doses are left over after it has been opened, they cannot be kept and must be thrown away.
Rather than dispose of the coveted vaccine, she gave them to her family members.
Each family member was eligible to receive Pfizer, she said, but her bosses sacked the 40 year veteran nurse on the spot.
Sydney nurse Kirstin Peterson (pictured) says she was sacked for giving leftover doses of Pfizer vaccine to her daughter and two nephews instead of ‘squirting them in the bin’
‘It breaks your heart to see these doses as a nurse,’ she told A Current Affair. ‘It’s terrible. You squirt it into the bin.
‘You feel terrible, it could be used for someone, but they go into the bin.’
The nurse has been working at various aged care and disability homes in the Greater Sydney area and has been careful to minimise wastage.
Pfizer has to be kept in very specific, demanding conditions and expires quickly, but Ms Peterson says she’s only ever had to dump three doses in total prior to the incident with her family.
‘I’ve usually had zero to toss,’ she said. ‘I’ve been very lucky. And on the day my family members came in, none were squirted out. They were used.’
Grandmother Kirstin Peterson, 67, (pictured) was working for Healthcare Australia at an aged care facility and says she had three doses of the prized jab left over
Rather than dispose of three soon-to-be expired Pfizer doses, Kirstin Peterson gave them to her family (stock image)
She insisted she would never have opened a vial of vaccine simply to vaccinate her own family.
‘These were spares that were going to be ditched,’ she said. ‘There is no gain for me, I don’t get any financial incentive.’
Ms Peterson begged her bosses not to sack her but the pleas fell on deaf ears.
‘I said, “Can I please have another chance?” and he said no, and I said, “It’s my only job at the moment” and he said, “Well, you’ve squandered it”,’ she said.
She added: ‘I believe I did the right thing. Part of the code of conduct is to be smart and cost-effective.’
The decision to sack her flies in the face of the official advice from NSW Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant who was questioned about the case on Monday.
The nurse believes she did the right thing as part of the conduct is to be smart and cost-effective
NSW Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant declined to comment on whether the nurse should be reinstated but stressed she does not want any Pfizer doses going to waste
I do not want to see one dose of Pfizer going to waste at this current time,’ she said. ‘We need to have as many jabs as possible. I do not want any wastage.
Her employer, a not-for-profit, has been contacted for comment.
About 460,000 shots were administered in NSW last week.
The proportion of the state’s population aged over 15 with at least one dose – the group used for federal government targets – rose last week from 37 per cent to 41 per cent.
The Pfizer vaccine has become highly-prized in Australia after reports gained traction of ultra-rare blood clots occurring after getting the AstraZeneca vaccine.
Pfizer was initially billed as the vaccine of choice for those under the age of 60 due to the slightly higher risk of the extremely rare AstraZeneca side effects.
But with Sydney facing even higher case numbers and Queensland now also suffering an outbreak of the Indian Delta strain, all adult Australians are being urged to get the jab.
The Prime Minister has even hinted lockdowns could soon be a thing of the past when enough Australians are properly vaccinated.