Virginia pharmacy gave incorrect COVID-19 vaccine dose to younger kids

More than 100 children in the 5-11-year-old age group mistakenly received a dose of the COVID-19 vaccine formulated for those 12 years and older at a pharmacy in Loudon County, Virginia.

The Virginia Department of Health (VDH) believes that 112 children were affected on Nov. 3-4 at Ted Pharmacy in Aldie, receiving a lower dose than recommended.

"On Nov. 5, state and federal authorities ordered the pharmacy to discontinue administering the vaccine, and VDH subsequently collected all COVID-19 vaccines at the pharmacy," the agency told Fox News in a statement. "Officials instructed the pharmacy to notify parents about next steps, including the recommendation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) regarding whether patients should restart the vaccine series or receive a correct second dose. VDH is also working to contact parents and ensure they understand the guidance on next steps."

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The department has not received any other reports of pharmacies or providers administering COVID-19 vaccines formulated for 12 years and older to children 5-11 years old. 

VDH said it contacted other pharmacy partners with additional communication that outlined vaccine administration guidance and issued a letter to clinicians outlining information about this new vaccine formulation on Nov. 5.

A letter from the department's director, David Goodfriend, shared by Fox 23 said that the department was aware of the situation and shared information from Pfizer and the CDC.

"If you are the parent/guardian of a child ages 5-11 years old who received a dose of COVID-19 at Ted Pharmacy on November 3 or November 4, 2021, please review the following information," he wrote. 

The pharmacy that administered the vaccination, Goodfriend added, has been removed from both state and federal COVID-19 vaccination programs and has transferred possession of all remaining COVID-19 vaccine inventory to the local health department. 

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"VDH recommends that parents review [CDC] guidance and contact their health care provider to discuss options to complete the COVID-19 vaccine series," he wrote. 

A summary of the guidance included the next steps to take, advising parents to monitor patients for side effects and contacting a primary care doctor or pediatrician about the best course of action going forward.

According to NBC 4 Washington, Ted Pharmacy is being investigated by the Virginia Board of Pharmacy. 

The board did not confirm or deny the investigation, issuing a statement to the station that said that "under Virginia law 54.1-2400.2, Virginia’s health regulatory boards, including the Board of Pharmacy (BOP), are not at liberty to confirm nor deny whether an investigation into a possible violation of a law or regulation is or is not underway."

"Should an investigation 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. The Board’s findings of fact and resulting actions are contained in a Board Order that becomes a matter of public record available online on the Board of Pharmacy’s website under License Lookup and Recent Case Decisions," the board reportedly wrote. 

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NBC 4 said that the Loudoun County Health Department and sent out an alert about the error.

Fox News has reached out to the Virginia Board of Pharmacy for comment but did not immediately receive a response.