BOONE COUNTY, W.V. (LOOTPRESS) – According to the West Virginia National Guard, 42 people in Boone County, who were scheduled to receive the COVID-19 vaccine at a clinic on Wednesday, were accidentally injected with Regeneron, an experimental monoclonal antibody treatment.
Regeneron is the same experimental treatment that President Trump received when he was hospitalized with the virus in November, according to Dr. Clay Marsh- the state’s COVID-19 Czar.
The antibody treatment is meant to be administered in an intravenous infusion and not a direct injection like the vaccine.
The National Guard does not believe there is any risk of harm to the 42 people who received the incorrect injection and stated that none of the recipients have shown any signs of adverse effects so far.
Administrator for the Boone County Health Department, Julie Miller, revealed that everyone who received the antibody treatment instead of the vaccine has been notified of the mistake.
The Guard called the error “a breakdown in the process.”
“The moment 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.
Vials for the vaccine and the antibody do look similar and are both refrigerated prior to use, but the vials are clearly labeled, as are the containers they are stored in.
In a statement, the Guard said no other shipments of the vaccine have been affected.
“While this injection is not harmful, it was substituted for the vaccine. But this occurrence provides our leadership team an important opportunity to review and improve the safety and process of vaccination for each West Virginian,” Marsh stated.
Although the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended that the vaccination should be deferred for 90 days “to avoid interference of the antibody treatment with the vaccine-induced immune responses,” the West Virginia National Guard offered the vaccine to the 42 individuals yesterday.
