42 People Accidentally Got COVID Treatment, Not Vaccine

Regeneron vials were apparently mixed with Moderna vaccine at distribution hub
By Kate Seamons,  Newser Staff
Posted Jan 1, 2021 6:22 AM CST
In Goof, 42 People Injected With Treatment, Not Vaccine
In this undated image from video provided by Regeneron Pharmaceuticals on Friday, Oct. 2, 2020, vials are inspected at the company's facilities in New York state, for efforts on an experimental coronavirus antibody drug.   (Regeneron via AP)

They thought they were being inoculated against COVID-19; instead, 42 people in West Virginia were mistakenly administered Regeneron's experimental monoclonal antibody treatment. The West Virginia National Guard, which is at the helm of the vaccine distribution effort in the state, confirmed that the goof occurred Wednesday in Boone County. The Guard said Thursday that the Regeneron vials were, due to human error, mistakenly put with Moderna vaccine vials at a distribution hub, and the two were then sent together to Boone County.

Though the Regeneron cocktail is supposed to be delivered via an IV rather than injection, the Guard says none of the 42 people on the receiving end of the mix-up have had any issues thus far but will continue to be monitored. The New York Times reports that while the vials do look a bit alike, both the vials and the box they come in are "clearly labeled." Both require refrigeration prior to use. The Guard noted in a statement that "these individuals will be offered the vaccine as soon as possible with a priority status." (More coronavirus vaccine stories.)

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