Forty-two people in West Virginia who would receive the Moderna coronavirus vaccine received the Regeneron antibody treatment instead – due to a confusion at a county clinic, the state National Guard admitted Thursday.
The error occurred at an event hosted by 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 don’t believe the 42 individuals are at any risk or harm. The National Guard added that the individuals will be vaccinated with priority status.
“The moment we were made aware of what had happened, we immediately acted to correct it, and we immediately revised and strengthened our protocols to improve our distribution process to prevent this from happening again,” said Major General James Hoyer, Adjutant General of the West Virginia National Guard.
Officials did not clarify how the mistake was made.
The state’s COVID-19 Tsar, Dr. Clay Marsh, assured that the Regeneron antibody treatment is safe and was received by President Trump.
“The product administered is antibodies that fight COVID-19,” said Marsh. In fact, this product was the same that was administered to President Trump when he became infected. Although this injection is not harmful, it has been substituted for the vaccine.
Trump praised Regeneron’s effectiveness when he became infected with the virus in October. The Food and Drug Administration approved emergency use in November.