A Kroger in Virginia accidentally injected customers looking for a COVID-19 vaccine with an empty syringe.
What are the details?
According to a Thursday report from CNN, at least nine people recently received nothing when they went to receive their COVID-19 vaccination at a Kroger near Richmond.
A company spokesperson said in a statement that a “small number of patients” recently received empty injections at a Little Clinic location in Midlothian, Virginia.
Kroger only realized that nine patients were receiving empty syringes when the Virginia Department of Public Health informed them – because the health care provider “did not know the syringes were not prefilled.”
“All affected customers have been contacted and received their COVID-19 vaccine,” the spokesperson added. “We thank these customers for their understanding and apologize for their inconvenience.”
The spokesperson added, “Kroger is taking steps to ensure that similar incidents do not occur in the future.”
What else?
Carrie Hawes, a clinic client who received one of the blank shots, told WWBT-TV she was alarmed to hear the news that she had been injected with nothing.
“I immediately spoke to a manager who explained that there was a mistake – that we had only been given saline. There was no vaccination equipment,” Hawes said. “My first reaction was shock and surprise, and a bit of anxiety.”
The Hill reported on Thursday that after clarification and confirmation, the syringes were empty – not filled with saline.
WWBT noted that within two hours of receiving the news, Hawes was able to return to the clinic to receive the corrected COVID-19 vaccine.
“They were very clear with me when we went in,” she said. “They showed us the vial to make sure it was Johnson & Johnson, took out the vaccine and showed it to me again.”
“Yes, it is unfortunate that a mistake was made, but it was a small number of people. The situation was resolved,” she added. “I understand it has been a long year and sometimes there is not much confidence in our systems and the process, but I think everyone has the best intentions and the end result is to get as many people vaccinated as soon as possible. so we can all protect our community. “