The West Virginia National Guard said 42 people were accidentally injected with antibodies to fight on Wednesday COVID-19 instead of the Modern COVID-19 vaccine, health officials said. The injections of the Regeneron antibody product were given during a clinic hosted by the Boone Department of Health. The Guard said they do not believe the 42 individuals who received the wrong shot could pose a risk.
“The moment we were notified of what happened, we immediately took action to rectify it, and we immediately reviewed and strengthened our protocols to improve our distribution process to prevent it from happening again,” he said. Major General James Hoyer, adjutant general of the West Virginia National Guard, said in a news release Thursday.
According to the release, anyone who received the wrong shot has been contacted or is being contacted. The State Department of Health and Human Resources will follow them up and they will be given the preferential status to get the vaccine.
“The administered product is antibodies that fight COVID-19,” said Dr. Clay Marsh, the state’s COVID-19 tsar, according to CBS affiliate WOWK-TV. “In fact, this product was the same product that was given to President Trump when he was infected. Although this injection is not harmful, it has been replaced by the vaccine. But this event provides our leadership team with an important opportunity for safety and process. of vaccination for every West Virginia. ‘
The station reported Thursday that more than 800 West Virginiaers are currently in the hospital fighting COVID-19. The state set a record on Dec. 31 with 801 current hospitalizations. Of the patients, 206 are in the ICU and a record number of 99 people are currently in a ventilator.
Associated Press contributed.