RESIDENTS at a care home in Lanarkshire were injected with salt water instead of the Covid-19 vaccine, it has emerged.

The blunder at Millbrae Care Home in Coatbridge saw 11 elderly residents given saline solution instead of the Pfizer vaccine NHS nurse vaccinators, according to reports in the Sunday Mail.

The 40-bed facility specialises in providing care for people with dementia.

The incident reportedly occurred on December 16 2020, just days after the national immunisation programme had got underway, reports our sister paper The Herald.

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A small amount of saline is supposed to be mixed with the pure Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine after it is taken out of freezers and thawed and then injected into patients.

Scottish Labour’s health spokeswoman Jackie Baillie said: “This alarming incident raises serious questions about the management of the vaccine programme and care sector."

Trudi Marshall, nurse director for Health and Social Care at North Lanarkshire health and social care partnership (HSCP), confirmed that it was aware of the incident.

She said: “None of the residents who received the vaccine diluent came to any harm and they were re-vaccinated on the same day."

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A spokesman for the Scottish Government said: “We were notified of the incident at the time and reassured by the health board that no harm was caused and that all residents affected received the appropriate vaccine the same day.”