CHARLESTON, W.Va. –
Yesterday the West Virginia National Guard learned of an error which resulted in 42 people receiving Regeneron Antibody product instead of the Moderna Vaccine. The 42 individuals received the antibody product at a vaccination clinic hosted by staff at the Boone County Health Department.
KEY POINTS:
● Medical experts with the Joint Interagency Task Force do not believe there is any risk of harm to these 42 individuals.
● No other individuals were administered the antibody instead of the vaccine at any point in time in West Virginia.
● No other vaccine shipments prior to yesterday or going forward are affected.
● All vaccine related protocols have been reviewed and strengthened.
● 7,855 West Virginians were vaccinated yesterday across the state.
● Lives are being saved by administering this vaccine to West Virginians.
All individuals that received the antibody have been contacted or are in the process of being contacted. The DHHR will also follow-up regularly with all individuals who received the antibody as an added precaution. These individuals will be offered the vaccine as soon as possible with a priority status.
“The moment that we were notified of what happened, we acted right away to correct it, and we immediately reviewed and strengthened our protocols to enhance our distribution process to prevent this from happening again,” said Maj. Gen. James Hoyer, Adjutant General of the West Virginia National Guard. “I remain incredibly proud of all that our team has accomplished. Our number one goal has been to save lives, and, as we continue to ramp up distribution of the vaccine all across the state, we continue to save more and more lives every single day.”
“The product administered are antibodies that fight COVID-19,” said Dr. Clay Marsh, the state’s COVID-19 Czar. “In fact, this product was the same one that was administered to President Trump when he became infected. While this injection is not harmful, it was substituted for the vaccine. But this occurrence provides our leadership team an important opportunity to review and improve the safety and process of vaccination for each West Virginian.”