3 patients accidentally given COVID vaccine at military base; Army opens investigation

The wrong vaccines were mistakenly administered to three patients at a military base in Washington state. The people went to get "another vaccine" at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Tacoma but were accidentally given the COVID-19 shot instead. The Army opened an investigation into the vaccine mix-up.

The three patients mistakenly received a Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine at the base, which is home of I Corps and 62nd Airlift Wing.

"Joint Base Lewis-McChord is aware three people were inadvertently administered the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine instead of another vaccine at the Lewis Main Exchange," Col. Joey Sullinger with I Corps Public Affairs told the Military Times.

"Positive corrective action has been taken at this vaccination site to prevent such errors from happening again," Sullinger added. "Army medical professionals are notifying and ensuring the health and welfare of those affected. This incident is under investigation."

The Army did not release the names of the people who received the wrong vaccines, and also did not reveal which vaccines the patients were supposed to be given.

Joint Base Lewis-McChord began offering COVID-19 vaccines for service members and their families in April.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, there have been multiple mishaps where people received the wrong injection.

In January, 42 people in West Virginia went to get the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine, but the West Virginia National Guard mistakenly gave them Regeneron's REGN-COV2 – a cocktail of two monoclonal antibodies that was "designed specifically to block infectivity of SARS-CoV-2 the virus that causes COVID-19."

In March, a Kroger in Virginia accidentally used empty syringes on at least nine people who were expecting to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. The supermarket giant said in a statement that a "small number of patients" received empty shots at a Little Clinic location in Midlothian, Virginia.

CNN reported in July that thousands of people in India were scammed out of $28,000 in a fake vaccine scheme that injected seawater instead of COVID-19 vaccines. Authorities arrested 14 people on suspicion of cheating, attempts at culpable homicide, criminal conspiracy, and other charges.

In August, an alleged anti-vax nurse in Germany was suspected of injecting thousands with saline instead of the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine.

Earlier this month, Joshua and Alexandra Price claimed that a Walgreens in Indiana gave their two young children adult doses of COVID-19 vaccines instead of flu shots. The couple from Evansville say the pharmacist called them after their children — ages 4 and 5 — were mistakenly given the COVID-19 shot.