Medication mix-up at corrections facility

CLALLAM BAY, Wash. — A medical mix-up at a Western Washington corrections center has nearly two dozen inmates under observation Monday night.

According to the Department of Corrections, 23 inmates and 1 staff member at the Clallam Bay Corrections Center were given the drug REGEN-COV when they were supposed to get a COVID-19 vaccine.

Dr. Rupali Jain is the clinical lead for the University of Washington’s COVID-19 therapeutics team.

She says despite the error, there isn’t a major health risk over the mix-up.

“The most concerning side effects that have occurred are really related to allergic reactions which usually happen right away,” says Jain. “So if the individuals have not experienced an adverse event at this point, they most likely won’t.”

REGEN-COV is not fully approved by the FDA

Because of that, Jain says there is a system in place to report errors like this.

“Anytime there is a untoward side effect or maybe a mistake that occurs, we are encouraged as healthcare providers to put this information into the FDA database to let them know that this is occurring,” she said.

The Department of Corrections wouldn’t comment Monday night but a statement released last week says in part, “All individuals who received the medication were notified and assessed by medical staff. No serious adverse reactions have been identified,”

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