Attorney: COVID vaccines given to family, including small kids, instead of flu shots

EVANSVILLE, Ind. (WFIE/Gray News) - Members of an Indiana family who went to get flu shots, including two children, were accidentally given adult doses of the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine, their attorney said.

They said it happened Monday at a Walgreens pharmacy, WFIE reported.

The family of four includes two adults and children who are 4 and 5 years old.

The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is only approved for people ages 12 and older. The companies are seeking approval for use in children ages 5 to 11 with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Pfizer and BioNTech proposed a dose one-third the size adults receive for ages 5 to 11. They have not yet sought permission for approval for children 4 and younger.

The family’s attorney, Daniel Tuley, shared what he says are the vaccination cards given to the family by Walgreens.

They show children born in 2016 and 2017 were given a vaccine shot.

The family said they left the pharmacy thinking they had received their flu shots, but a Walgreens employee later called them and said they had made a mistake. The attorney said the cards were then issued since the coronavirus vaccine had been given.

Tuley said the children have been taken to a pediatric cardiologist, and the family was told both are showing signs of heart issues.

The family said the younger child has been sick with a fever and a cough.

On Monday, Walgreen’s sent the following statement:

“Due to privacy laws, we cannot comment on specific patient events. However, in general, such instances are rare and Walgreens takes these matters very seriously. In the event of any error, our first concern is always our patients’ well-being. Our multi-step vaccination procedure includes several safety checks to minimize the chance of human error, and we have reviewed this process with our pharmacy staff in order to prevent such occurrences.”

Last year, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services used emergency powers due to the pandemic. The directive allows pharmacists in all 50 states to give vaccines, like flu shots, to children 3 and older.

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