- A Virginia Kroger location gave several patients "empty" shots during their coronavirus vaccination.
- The syringes were thought to have been previously filled before appointments started but were empty.
- The risks of pumping air into people's veins include causing air embolisms and blocking blood flow.
- See more stories on Insider's business page.
A Virginia Kroger gave several people "empty" shots that were supposed to contain vaccines for COVID-19, according to ABC 8News.
The healthcare professional who gave the shots to less than 10 people believed that the syringes had been previously filled by a colleague before the appointments started, a spokesperson for Kroger told 8News.
At first, the company told outlets 8News and CBS 6 that the syringes contained saline but later clarified that they were completely empty. That risks pumping air into people's veins that can cause air embolisms and block blood flow.
"All impacted customers were contacted and have received their COVID-19 vaccine. We thank these customers for their understanding and have apologized for their inconvenience," a spokesperson for Kroger told Insider.
The clinic is investigating the matter to prevent a similar situation from recurring in the future, and the Virginia Department of Health is aware of the incident, they said.
The retail chain aims to double its vaccine capacity to 1 million doses per week.
As of March 13, about 20% of the US population has received at least one dose of the vaccine for COVID-19, Bloomberg data show. More Americans have received vaccines than have tested positive for the virus, that report said. At the current rate, it will only take about 5 months until 75% of the US population, enough for "normalcy," according to Dr. Anthony Fauci, is inoculated.
Dit artikel is oorspronkelijk verschenen op z24.nl