March 11, 2021 – 1:33 p.m
Multiple people who went to a clinic at a Virginia Kroger to receive the COVID-19 vaccine this week were instead mistakenly given empty syringes.
A spokesperson for the grocery and pharmacy retailer told NBC’s Richmond affiliate station WWBT Wednesday that the incident at its location in the suburban town of Midlothian was an “honest mistake,” adding that “all impacted customers were contacted and have now received the COVID-19 vaccine.”
“We apologize for this oversight and the inconvenience caused for these customers,” the spokesperson added.
Kroger told local ABC affiliate WRIC that “less than 10” people were impacted by the mishap at The Little Clinic location, and also said that previous statements from the company saying that the syringes were filled with saline were determined to be incorrect following a more thorough investigation.
Carrie Hawes, one of the individuals who received an empty shot, told WWBT that she received an appointment to get the Johnson & Johnson inoculation on Monday evening at the Kroger location.
Hawes, who qualified for the vaccine under Group 1B for people 65 and younger with underlying medical conditions, told the local news outlet that she received a call the next day informing her of the mistake.
“My initial reaction was shock and surprise, and a little anxiety,” she said, adding that she was able to return to the store within hours of the phone call to properly receive the vaccination.
A Kroger spokesperson told WRIC that the company has been in contact with the Virginia Department of Health to address the issue, and that clinic workers have now been retrained on how to properly administer the vaccines.
In Kroger’s statement to WWBT, the company said it has so far administered more than 836,000 coronavirus vaccines thus far at its locations across the country.
