Young children receive COVID-19 vaccines at Walgreens instead of flu shots, now show signs of heart damage

A family of four in Evansville, Indiana, visited a local Walgreens to receive their annual flu shots—but they were accidentally given the COVID-19 vaccine instead.

The family included four-year-old and a five-year-old. It has not yet been approved by the FDA for children that young to receive a COVID-19 vaccine.  

According to a new report out of WEHT in Evansville, Indiana, the family found out about the mistake 90 minutes later, when they received a phone call from the pharmacy. The children are currently ill, according to their parents—and a cardiologist has said they both show signs of vaccine-related cardiac issues.

The parents have already reached out to the CDC about this incident. They are also seeking legal action.

"In the event of any error, our first concern is always our patients’ well-being," according to a statement from Walgreens. "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."

Click the link below for the full story:

Michael Walter
Michael Walter, Managing Editor

Michael has more than 18 years of experience as a professional writer and editor. He has written at length about cardiology, radiology, artificial intelligence and other key healthcare topics.

Around the web

Ron Blankstein, MD, professor of radiology, Harvard Medical School, explains the use of artificial intelligence to detect heart disease in non-cardiac CT exams.

Eleven medical societies have signed on to a consensus statement aimed at standardizing imaging for suspected cardiovascular infections.

Kate Hanneman, MD, explains why many vendors and hospitals want to lower radiology's impact on the environment. "Taking steps to reduce the carbon footprint in healthcare isn’t just an opportunity," she said. "It’s also a responsibility."