Several people who went to a clinic in a Virginia Kroger to receive the COVID-19 vaccine this week instead received empty syringes by mistake.
A spokesman for the grocery and pharmacy retailer told the NBC affiliate station in Richmond WWBT Wednesday that the incident at his location in the suburban city of Midlothian was an “honest mistake”, adding that “all affected customers have been contacted and have now received the COVID-19 vaccine. ”
“We apologize for this oversight and for the inconvenience caused to these customers,” added the spokesman.
Kroger told local ABC affiliate WRIC that “fewer than 10” people were affected by the accident at The Little Clinic site, and also said that previous company statements saying the syringes were filled with saline were found to be incorrect after a more thorough investigation.
Carrie Hawes, one of the individuals who received an empty shot, told WWBT that she received an appointment to get the Johnson & Johnson vaccine on Monday night at the Kroger site.
Hawes, who qualified for the vaccine under Group 1B for people aged 65 and under with underlying medical conditions, told the local media that he received a call the next day informing her of the error.
“My initial reaction was shock and surprise, and a little anxiety,” she said, adding that she was able to return to the store hours after the call to receive the vaccination properly.
A Kroger spokesman told WRIC that the company had contacted the Virginia Department of Health to address the problem and that clinic staff have now been retrained to administer vaccines properly.
In Kroger’s statement to WWBT, the company said it has so far administered more than 836,000 coronavirus vaccines in its locations across the country.
“Kroger encourages everyone to receive any vaccine available to them as soon as they become eligible,” added the statement.
The Hill contacted Kroger for additional information.