A pharmacist dilutes the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine as he prepares to administer it to staff and residents of Goodwin House Bailey’s Crossroads, a community of seniors in Falls Church, Virginia, on December 30, 2020.
Brendan Smialowski | AFP | Getty Images
Dozens of West Virginia people were mistakenly given Regeneron’s Covid-19 antibody treatment instead of the Modern vaccine, the West Virginia National Guard announced Thursday.
The state National Guard said 42 people received the treatment, which is given intravenously, at a vaccination clinic staffed by the Boone County Department of Health. The National Guard said it learned of the error Wednesday.
All people who received antibody treatment instead of the vaccine, which is given by a shot in the arm, have been contacted, Julie Miller, administrator of the Boone County Department of Health, told CNBC. . He added that “we do not believe there is any risk of harm.”
Regeneron monoclonal antibody treatment, which should be given by intravenous drip, is seen as a promising treatment for Covid-19, especially when given early in the course of the infection. But the confusion in West Virginia is just one example of confusion in the rush to distribute the vaccine to tens of millions of people. The launch has been slower than expected and marked by logistical challenges.
“It has been determined that this was an isolated incident,” Miller said. “Today the COVID-19 vaccine will be offered to all affected people.”
He said the health department will work closely with the state National Guard and the Department of Health and Human Resources to review its policies and procedures.
Miller did not provide any details on what caused the confusion.
Representatives from the West Virginia National Guard and the West Virginia governor’s office did not return CNBC’s request for further comment on how the error occurred.
Major General James Hoyer, deputy general of the West Virginia National Guard, said in a statement that his troops “acted immediately” to correct the mistake as soon as they knew what happened. “We immediately reviewed and strengthened our protocols to improve our distribution process to prevent this from happening again,” he said in a statement.
He added that the state will continue to increase the distribution of the vaccine “to save more and more lives every day.”
Dr. Clay Marsh, the state’s Tsar Covid-19, noted in a statement that the Regeneron treatment administered incorrectly instead of the vaccine is the same product “that was administered to President Trump when he became infected.”
“While this injection is not harmful, it was replaced by the vaccine,” he said. “But this occurrence provides our leadership team with an important opportunity to review and improve the safety and vaccination process of every Western Virginian.”