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West Virginia: 44 people accidentally injected with antibodies instead of COVID-19 vaccine

WION Web Team
West Virginia, united StatesUpdated: Jan 01, 2021, 03:18 PM IST
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Photograph:(Reuters)

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The experts have also assured that since the drug was administered as a shot, it will not come up as a hurdle in the process of inoculation of the affected people

In yet another coronavirus vaccine-related accident, a West Virginia clinic accidentally injected antibodies to 44 people instead of Moderna’s coronavirus vaccine, the West Virginia National Guard reported.

People were administered with a Regeneron antibody product, instead of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine. This incident was soon identified and reported to the higher authorities. 

"The moment that we were notified of what happened, we acted right away to correct it, and we immediately reviewed and strengthened our protocols to enhance our distribution process to prevent this from happening again," said Maj. Gen. James Hoyer, adjutant general of the West Virginia National Guard, in the statement.

After the incident was identified, the Boone County Health Department reached out to 42 people who had been wrongfully injected with antibodies and has now given them the option of rescheduling for their shot of the vaccine on Thursday.

Officers have claimed it to be an isolated incident, but are still unsure about how did the mix-up of the antibodies and the vaccine occur. An investigation was immediately launched into the matter by the National Guard and the local authorities.

The experts have also assured that since the drug was administered as a shot, it will not come up as a hurdle in the process of inoculation of the affected people.

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Clay Marsha, the coordinator of West Virginia’s coronavirus task force also reported that the drug administered is the same one that was given to the outgoing US President Donald Trump when he had tested positive for the novel coronavirus. "In fact, this product was the same one that was administered to President Trump when he became infected," he said. "While this injection is not harmful, it was substituted for the vaccine."

The hospital officials and staff have claimed that the vaccine was also not incorrectly labelled, and therefore the reason and confusion behind the mix-up stays a mystery for now.