The latest vaccine mishap amid a global effort to inoculate the general public against coronavirus occurred at a Walgreens in North Carolina.
Workers at the pharmacy in Monroe confirmed on Friday they mistakenly gave some people an injection of saline instead of the treatment for COVID-19. Walgreens told WCNC they managed to reach out to everyone who was affected by the incident as soon as they were able.
The drug store added that an investigation into the mix-up was underway and vowed customer safety and care is their top priority.
So far, at least 177 countries and territories have administered more than 878 million doses of a COVID-19 vaccine, according to a tally by CNN. In the United States alone, the nation hardest hit by the pandemic, an estimated 202,282,923 shots have been give out as of Saturday morning.
Still, the worldwide immunization campaign has been met with a range of roadblocks, from delivery delays to storage snafus to distribution gaps. There have also been reports of corruption, with some local officials and health care workers stealing the shots for themselves and their loved ones.
What’s more, the Johnson & Johnson vaccine has been temporarily suspended in the U.S. over reports of blood clots. Some countries in Europe stopped the AstraZeneca vaccines — which have not been authorized in the U.S. — for the same reason. Health officials continued to research the side effect while emphasizing just how rare the clots have been.
