Washington Examiner – by Daniel Chaitin
A pharmacy in Loudoun County, Virginia, administered the wrong COVID-19 vaccine to children 5-11 years old, according to state officials.
The Virginia Department of Health said it believes about 112 children were given the vaccine formulated for those 12 years and older on Nov. 3-4 at Ted Pharmacy in Aldie.
Federal and state officials ordered the pharmacy on Nov. 5 to stop administering the vaccine, and Virginia’s health agency collected all COVID-19 vaccines at the location, FOX 5 reported on Wednesday.
News4 reported about inquiring parents, including one mother who said her 7-year-old daughter was given a diluted dose of the vaccine meant for children 12 and older, which came in a vial with a purple cap, not an orange one found on vaccines for younger children.
“Nothing says that you can change a purple to an orange,” Dasha Hermosilla, the mother, told the news outlet. “I had this pit in my stomach that, like, what did they just do to my daughter?”
Health officials are encouraging parents of affected children, who are in the process of being notified, to consult their child’s pediatrician and watch out for negative side effects.
The Food and Drug Administration approved emergency use of Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine for children 5-11 years old, after which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention gave it a final greenlight last week.
“Children ages 5-11 years will be vaccinated with two 10-microgram doses administered 21 days apart. The dosage is one-third of the adolescent and adult dose,” reads a post on the American Academy of Pediatrics website .
A spokesperson for Virginia’s Board of Pharmacy would not confirm an investigation is underway but said if one should “reveal there is probable cause to believe a law or regulation was broken an Informal Conference or a Formal Hearing before the board may be held for consideration of possible disciplinary action.”