People are meant to get two doses of the Pfizer vaccine three weeks apart,but Mr Hunt said he’s been advised the doctor in question administered both doses of the vaccine consecutively. He then acknowledged reports the residents received four doses of the vaccine could be accurate.

A nurse noticed the issue and stepped in immediately.

The Pfizer vaccine vials contain six doses,and prior to the vaccine rollout Health Department secretary Professor Brendan Murphy hadexpressed concern the multi-dose vials presented a risk of vaccine wastage.

“Nobody in Australia that gives vaccines at the moment is experienced with multi-dose vials,” Professor Murphy told a parliamentary committee in early February.

He also told the committee all vaccine providers must complete an hours’-long online training session run by the Australian College of Nursing before being allowed to administer doses.

The doctor had been hired by Healthcare Australia to assist with their task of vaccinating all aged care residents in Queensland and NSW and Greg Hunt said the company stood the doctor down following the incident.

St Vincent’s Care Services,which runs Holy Spirit Nursing Home,said the incident had been very distressing to the organisation,the residents and their families.

“It’s also extremely concerning. It’s caused us to question whether some of the clinicians given the job of administering the vaccine have received the appropriate training,” St Vincent’s Care Services chief executive Lincoln Hopper said on Wednesday morning.

“Certainly,health authorities and contracted vaccination providers should be re-emphasising to their teams the need to exercise greater care so an error like this isn’t repeated.”

Mr Hopper said St Vincent’s intends to report the doctor to the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency over the error,and will now require Healthcare Australia or any other provider to confirm the training of healthcare workers tasked with vaccinating.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said national cabinet needed to be held as soon as possible to discuss the incident.

The Premier will also write to Prime Minister Scott Morrison to ask for the federal government to provide regular updates about who they are vaccinating and the number of people who have received the vaccination.

“I want to know what training is being provided to the people the federal government is employing to administer the vaccines in our aged care facilities to give additional confidence. I want to know about the communication strategies for the next phases of the rollout of the vaccine - people need and must have full confidence in this vaccine.”

with Felicity Caldwell