Indiana family claims kids received COVID vaccines instead of flu shots
EVANSVILLE, Ind. - Walgreens says vaccine mix-ups are rare after an Indiana family claimed that their children were given coronavirus shots rather than flu shots.
The family told WFIE in an exclusive interview that their two children, who are 4 and 5 years old, were mistakenly given full adult doses of the Pfizer vaccine rather than flu shots at a Walgreens in Evansville.
The mix-up allegedly occurred on Oct. 4.
Due to privacy laws, Walgreens told FOX Business that it isn't allowed to comment on specific patient events but that patient safety is its "top priority" for the company and it takes such matters very seriously.
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"Generally speaking, such instances are rare, and Walgreens takes these matters very seriously," Walgreens said in a statement. "In the event of any error, our first concern is always our patients’ well-being."
Walgreens says it has a multi-step vaccination procedure that "includes several safety checks to minimize the chance of human error." The company also noted that it has reviewed the multi-step vaccination procedure with its pharmacy staff as a means to prevent these incidents from occurring.
The Price family didn't find out about the mix-up until after a Walgreens employee called them admitting that they made a mistake, according to WFIE.
"Walgreens called me to say there was a mix-up, we did not receive the flu shot," Alexandra Price said.
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After finding out that the kids were given a coronavirus shot instead, Price recalled thinking, "I was like, well what does this mean for my kids...?"
The Price family's attorney, David Tuley, told the outlet that the children were taken to the doctor and are showing signs of heart issues.
To date, Pfizer and BioNTech's vaccine hasn't been approved for children just yet. Earlier this month, however, the companies offered parents a sign of hope after asking the U.S. government to authorize its COVID-19 vaccine for youngsters ages 5 to 11.
If regulators give the go-ahead, a reduced dose of the shot could be doled out within a matter of weeks. The companies said their research shows younger children should get one-third of the dose now given to everyone else.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.