Forty-two people in West Virginia who were supposed to receive the modern coronavirus vaccine instead received treatment with Regeneron antibodies – due to a mess at a county clinic, the state National Guard admitted on Thursday.
The error occurred at an event organized by the Boone County Health Department staff on Wednesday, and those who received the antibody treatment will be monitored as a precaution, the West Virginia National Guard said in a statement.
Medical experts from the state’s COVID-19 task force say they do not believe the 42 individuals face any risk or harm. The National Guard added that individuals will be vaccinated with priority status.
“The moment we were notified of what happened, we acted immediately to correct it and immediately revised and strengthened our protocols to improve our distribution process to prevent this from happening again,” said General James Hoyer, Adjutant General of the West Virginia.
The authorities did not clarify how the mistake was made.
The state COVID-19 tsar, Dr. Clay Marsh, ensured that the Regeneron antibody treatment is safe and was received by President Trump.
“The products administered are antibodies that fight against COVID-19,” said Marsh. “In fact, this product was the same product that was administered to President Trump when he was infected. Although this injection is not harmful, it has been replaced by the vaccine.
Trump praised Regeneron’s effectiveness when he became infected with the virus in October. The Food and Drug Administration granted emergency treatment authorization in November.