COVID vaccines given to family, including small children, instead of flu shots

EVANSVILLE, Indiana (WFIE / Gray News) – Members of a family in Indiana who went for the flu shot, including two children, were accidentally given adult doses of the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine, said their lawyer.

They said this happened at a Walgreens pharmacy on Monday, WFIE reported.

The family of four consists of two adults and children aged 4 and 5.

The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is only approved for people 12 years of age and older. The companies are seeking approval for use in children ages 5 to 11 from the United States Food and Drug Administration.

Pfizer and BioNTech have proposed a dose that is one-third the size adults receive for ages 5 to 11. They have not yet applied for approval permission for children 4 and under.

Family attorney Daniel Tuley shared what he says are the immunization cards given to the family by Walgreens.

They show that children born in 2016 and 2017 received a vaccine.

The family said they left the pharmacy believing they had received their flu shots, but a Walgreens employee called them later and told them they had made a mistake. The lawyer said the cards were subsequently issued since the coronavirus vaccine was administered.

Tuley said the children were taken to a pediatric cardiologist and the family learned the two were showing signs of heart problems.

The family said the youngest child had a fever and cough.

Walgreens had not responded to requests for comment on Friday night.

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