Pfizer requests approval of its vaccine for children under 11 years old 0:44
(CNN) -
Joshua and Alexandra Price say that a week ago, at their local Walgreens pharmacy, they mistakenly got the COVID-19 vaccine instead of the flu vaccine, and now they are suffering from some adverse symptoms.
The Prices took their 4 and 5-year-old children to the Walgreens in Evansville, Indiana, on October 4 for their annual vaccinations.
About 90 minutes later, the pharmacist called saying they had made a mistake.
The entire family had been injected with adult doses of the COVID-19 vaccine.
"When they called us and told us they were wrong and that they had given us the wrong vaccine, I was in shock," said Alexandra Price.
"The only thing I could say to them was, 'What does this mean for my children?'
Although Alexandra and Joshua, who were already fully vaccinated since last April, were worried about themselves, they were more worried about Sophia, 5, and Lukas, 4.
"Lukas started feeling bad even before we got home from Walgreens," Alexandra said.
"He was feeling sick, lethargic, and had already started having a fever," added Joshua.
Joshua, Alexandra, Sophia and Lukas Price
The Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine is approved for individuals 16 years of age and older and has an emergency use authorization for individuals 12-15 years of age.
Pfizer said in a tweet on October 7 that it had submitted a formal request for an emergency use authorization for a smaller dose of the vaccine for children ages 5 to 11 with the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). , for its acronym in English).
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Pfizer requests approval of its vaccine for children under 11 years old 0:44
"They'll probably do well," said Dr. Peter Hotez, dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine.
"The difference is that they received a dose of vaccine three times higher than what is being tested in clinical trials."
"It is worrying that they have received a higher dose, and they have to be watched, but they should be very well," Hotez said.
"Now there is a lot of data on children 5 years and older."
Hotez added that the extra dose of the vaccine Alexandra and Joshua received is similar to that of a booster shot.
After requesting that Walgreens provide proof of vaccination so the family could show medical professionals what was administered in an emergency, the Prices say Walgreens hesitated.
"They wanted to involve their legal department and they didn't want to give us those cards, so we contacted our own attorney," Alexandra said.
Joshua explained that the cards were an important test for the doctors if the children got worse.
He said Walgreens gave them the cards the next day.
A study by the US National Institutes of Health concludes that the application of a booster other than the initial covid-19 vaccine is safe and produces a strong immune response
Walgreens spokesperson Kris Lathan told CNN that due to privacy laws, she was unable to comment on a specific event.
"In general, know that these cases are rare and that Walgreens takes these matters very seriously," the statement said.
"In the event of any errors, our first concern is always the well-being of our patients. Our multi-step vaccination procedure includes several safety checks to minimize the possibility of human error and we have reviewed this process with our pharmacy staff with the in order to prevent such situations ".
Walgreens did not comment on how a vaccine mix-up could have occurred.
Symptoms worsened for Sophia and Lukas, and the Prices took their children to a cardiologist.
"Children have experienced a number of adverse effects since receiving Pfizer's covid-19 vaccine. Fever, body aches, cough, headaches and nausea are among the symptoms children experience," according to a published statement. by Price family attorney Dan Tuley.
"Children 4 and 5 years old are also under treatment by a pediatric cardiologist for tachycardia and high blood pressure, respectively."
This could mean for your children that there is a covid-19 vaccine for children
After a follow-up appointment on Tuesday, Alexandra said Lucas has improved, but Sophia has worsened.
"His blood pressure is in the 98th percentile and he still has no energy."
Alexandra and Joshua continue to slowly recover from symptoms that appeared shortly after vaccination.
Those symptoms include high blood pressure, fevers, chest pain, and headaches.
"It's been over a week and I still have high blood pressure and chest pain," Joshua said.
He said he is being monitored by his doctor for blood pressure and chest pains.
CNN tried to contact Pfizer for comment, but got no response.
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