Health officials in West Virginia mistakenly gave 42 people antibodies to Covid-19 instead of vaccine

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Recipients were due to receive their first doses of the Moderna vaccine on Wednesday at a clinic run by the Boone County Department of Health, according to a statement from the West Virginia National Guard.

Instead, they were given a Regeneron antibody product, which is used to treat Covid-19.

“The moment we were made aware of what happened, we acted immediately to correct it, and we immediately reviewed and strengthened our protocols to improve our distribution process to prevent this from happening again,” Adjutant General Major General James Hoyer said. of the West Virginia National Guard, in the statement.

The National Guard leads the planning and logistics for vaccine distribution.

The Boone County Health Department said it informed all 42 people and offered to give them the Covid-19 vaccine on Thursday.

Officials said it was an isolated incident but did not explain how the confusion arose when contacted for further comment.

Regeneron’s antibody cocktail uses a combination of two immune system proteins, usually given by infusion – a different method from the injections used in vaccination.

Boone County is south of Charleston, the state capital.

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The National Guard said the Department of Health and Human Resources would follow up with those who received the antibodies as a precaution.

Dr Clay Marsh, the state’s Covid-19 czar, said there was no risk to the 42 people.

“The products administered are antibodies that fight COVID-19,” Marsh said in the statement. “In fact, this product was the same one that was administered to President Trump when he was infected. Although this injection was not harmful, it was replaced by the vaccine. But this event provides our management team with an important opportunity to review and improve the safety and vaccination process for every West Virginian. “

The National Guard said 7,855 were vaccinated in West Virginia on Wednesday.

More than 2.7 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines have been administered in the United States according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and more than 12.4 million have been distributed.
US officials had promised to vaccinate 20 million people by the end of 2020.

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