A vacant vaccine waiting area at Walgreens in Miami Beach, Florida. This Walgreens was not involved in the vaccine accident. Jeff Greenberg/Universal Images Group/Getty Images
A couple from Indiana said that their children were given a COVID-19 vaccine by Walgreens instead of getting flu shots.
Alexandra Price of WFIE stated that Walgreens called her to inform me that there had been a mix-up and she did not get the flu shot.
Baltimore, Maryland saw a similar incident where a 4-year old received the Pfizer vaccine.
Local news outlet WFIE reported that a Walgreens pharmacy gave the wrong doses of COVID-19 vaccine to a couple from Indiana.
Joshua and Alexandra Price claimed that they took their children to Walgreens to get flu shots on October 4, but they were instead given doses of the Pfizer CoviD-19 vaccine.
Pfizer's vaccine is approved for use in children aged 12 and over. The Food and Drug Administration is currently seeking approval for children 5-11 years old. They have not asked for eligibility for children younger than five years of age.
Alexandra Price of WFIE stated that Walgreens called her to inform me there was a mix up and they did not give the flu shot. "And I was like, well what did they get? He was like he got the COVID-19 shot. And I instantly thought, "What does this mean for my children?"
WFIE was represented by Daniel Tuley who showed WFIE vaccination cards for their 4-year-old son and daughter, respectively, which show that they were both born in 2016.
WFIE reported that the couple brought their children to see a pediatric cardioologist. The doctor said that their daughter had high blood pressure, while their son had tachycardia, which is a rapid heartbeat in proportion to age and exertion.
"You hope it's stress from going to the doctor's and the unfamiliar response. But at the same you wonder if it's really that. Alexandra Price told WFIE. "You worry constantly. Since Monday night last week, they have been sleeping in our bedroom in our bedroom. We can monitor them and keep an eye on them.
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Insider reached out to Walgreens representatives but they did not immediately respond. Insider received no response from Tuley.
A spokesperson for Walgreens stated that patient safety is their top priority and that privacy laws prevent them from commenting on specific patient events.
These types of incidents are very rare, and Walgreens takes these matters seriously. The statement said that in the event of an error, our first concern would be the well-being of our patients." "Our multi-step vaccination process includes many safety checks to minimize human error. We have discussed this process with our pharmacy staff to avoid such an occurrences."
According to the Baltimore Sun, another incident similar occurred last month in Baltimore, Maryland. A couple brought their 4-year-old daughter, who was seeking a flu shot, to Walgreens, but instead she was given the Pfizer vaccine.
Brian Castrucci, an epidemiologist, told the newspaper that "that's not going be happening often." "We shouldn't make mistakes in our care. But this error did not cause any harm. This isn’t poison.
Insider has the original article.
