Walgreens mistakenly injected two kids with the Covid-19 vaccine instead of flu shot

[MDLNB]

Walgreens mistakenly injected parents and two kids age 4 and 5 with the Covid vaccine instead of the flu shot and now they are being treated for tachycardia and elevated blood pressure.

""They will probably do OK," said Dr. Peter Hotez, dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine. "The difference is they got a three times higher dose of a vaccine than is being tested in clinical trials."
The children have reportedly been suffering other side effects for over a week after receiving their shots.



Indiana parents say Walgreens mistakenly injected them and their two kids with the Covid-19 vaccine instead of flu shot - CNN (https://www.cnn.com/2021/10/13/us/parents-say-walgreens-mistake-covid-vaccine/index.html)

[billethkid]

I am curious about the "rest of the story" regarding how this did or could happen.

There are steps in the procedure/process where one is asked/notified what they are receiving.

It must have been a total disconnect between pre vax documentation/post vax receipt and physically grabbed the wrong hypodermics.

Still begs the question of verification effectiveness.

[RICH1]

another Scam to get money !

[Stu from NYC]

Wow hope the kids come out of it ok and whoever did it finds a new job as a basket weaver.

[MDLNB]

another Scam to get money !


The way I read it is that the Pharmacy CALLED the parents to let them know that they had received the wrong vaccine. Don't know how that would be a scam unless the employee was in on it.

[MDLNB]

I am curious about the "rest of the story" regarding how this did or could happen.

There are steps in the procedure/process where one is asked/notified what they are receiving.

It must have been a total disconnect between pre vax documentation/post vax receipt and physically grabbed the wrong hypodermics.

Still begs the question of verification effectiveness.


Right! They only thing I can think of is that they may have been slammed with customers and short of employees. Not an excuse, but might half way explain such a dangerous mistake.

I don't know anything about the flu shot, but that might explain how they got THREE times the amount of serum.

On top of the fact that their toddlers got three times the normal amount of vaccine, the parents had already been vaccinated for Covid. Guess they won't need a booster for a while.

[golfing eagles]

Walgreens mistakenly injected parents and two kids age 4 and 5 with the Covid vaccine instead of the flu shot and now they are being treated for tachycardia and elevated blood pressure.

""They will probably do OK," said Dr. Peter Hotez, dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine. "The difference is they got a three times higher dose of a vaccine than is being tested in clinical trials."
The children have reportedly been suffering other side effects for over a week after receiving their shots.



Indiana parents say Walgreens mistakenly injected them and their two kids with the Covid-19 vaccine instead of flu shot - CNN (https://www.cnn.com/2021/10/13/us/parents-say-walgreens-mistake-covid-vaccine/index.html)

another Scam to get money !

I wouldn't call it a scam---after all, I doubt this family came in to the drugstore to get the wrong shots on purpose. Clearly the pharmacist made a mistake, and a pretty big/avoidable one. If they were drawing the shot out of the vial, all they needed to do was read the label, so I doubt that was the case. More likely, based on their daily volume, the pharmacist had drawn up a number of syringes of both vaccines to "save time". We did this every year since we gave out 12-1400 flu shots on our 3 Saturday flu shot days----but we only had ONE vaccine drawn up. If they did this for more than one, a mistake could be made.

OK, so what's done is done, but now the interesting part:

The "symptoms" that were listed for this family as a result of the COVID vaccine, BY THEIR LAWYER can all be attributed to anxiety (except fever, which is common after many vaccines), and may not even be vaccine related. But we all know where this is headed. (Not a courtroom since dumb jurors would give a huge award, but a juicy settlement for sure). And the happiest person is the lawyer collecting 40% for a winning case that fell into his lap.

I'm also sure the settlement will include a codicil that still includes the right for the 2 children to sue for "malpractice" up to the legal limit of 30 months after their 18th birthday. I see a lot of sleepless nights for that pharmacist

[MDLNB]

I am more concerned about the health issue with the children (and the parents if they got another full dose of the vaccine) than the legal issues. According the article, Walgreens contacted the parents to inform them. I am really glad that they did that, in case something serious happens. I agree that there will be some sleepless nights for someone involved in that disaster.

[OrangeBlossomBaby]

Right! They only thing I can think of is that they may have been slammed with customers and short of employees. Not an excuse, but might half way explain such a dangerous mistake.

I don't know anything about the flu shot, but that might explain how they got THREE times the amount of serum.

On top of the fact that their toddlers got three times the normal amount of vaccine, the parents had already been vaccinated for Covid. Guess they won't need a booster for a while.

They weren't toddlers, they were 4 and 5 years old. That's pre-k and kindergarten age.

The "three times the amount" is comparative. They received the adult dose. There is no appropriate dose for 4-5 year old kids, at the moment.

[Luggage]

And I would really wonder why parents would not be with children at a pharmacy? By federal law I pretty much understand there is no legal obligation of side effects to be sued for.

[frank1975]

The way I read it is that the Pharmacy CALLED the parents to let them know that they had received the wrong vaccine. Don't know how that would be a scam unless the employee was in on it.
No scam here but I do smell law suite!!!!

[GeriS]

I am curious about the "rest of the story" regarding how this did or could happen.

There are steps in the procedure/process where one is asked/notified what they are receiving.

It must have been a total disconnect between pre vax documentation/post vax receipt and physically grabbed the wrong hypodermics.

Still begs the question of verification effectiveness.
Not the first time this happen. I read about a woman a couple of weeks ago who had the same thing happen.

[GeriS]

Wow hope the kids come out of it ok and whoever did it finds a new job as a basket weaver.
Worse than that needs to happen to the person who did this. The adverse reactions people are getting is more than an accident.

[GeriS]

Right! They only thing I can think of is that they may have been slammed with customers and short of employees. Not an excuse, but might half way explain such a dangerous mistake.

I don't know anything about the flu shot, but that might explain how they got THREE times the amount of serum.

On top of the fact that their toddlers got three times the normal amount of vaccine, the parents had already been vaccinated for Covid. Guess they won't need a booster for a while.
So if a doctor cut off your arm by accident because he was slammed is that an excuse?

[theorem painter]

This happened to a friend of mine at Walgreens in Pinnellas. She had her covid shot and booster. Went to Walgreens to get flu shot and filled out all the paperwork with her husband. After they both got the shot the technician asked them for their cards. What cards? The vaccine cards so I can mark your covid boosters. Needless to say, the **** hit the fan. Lesson learned, always double-check before they give you the shot.

[La lamy]

Walgreens mistakenly injected parents and two kids age 4 and 5 with the Covid vaccine instead of the flu shot and now they are being treated for tachycardia and elevated blood pressure.

""They will probably do OK," said Dr. Peter Hotez, dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine. "The difference is they got a three times higher dose of a vaccine than is being tested in clinical trials."
The children have reportedly been suffering other side effects for over a week after receiving their shots.



Indiana parents say Walgreens mistakenly injected them and their two kids with the Covid-19 vaccine instead of flu shot - CNN (https://www.cnn.com/2021/10/13/us/parents-say-walgreens-mistake-covid-vaccine/index.html)

:shocked: :shocked: :shocked: :ohdear:

[golfing eagles]

Worse than that needs to happen to the person who did this. The adverse reactions people are getting is more than an accident.

Please explain.

[OhioBuckeye]

Walgreens mistakenly injected parents and two kids age 4 and 5 with the Covid vaccine instead of the flu shot and now they are being treated for tachycardia and elevated blood pressure.

""They will probably do OK," said Dr. Peter Hotez, dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine. "The difference is they got a three times higher dose of a vaccine than is being tested in clinical trials."
The children have reportedly been suffering other side effects for over a week after receiving their shots.



Indiana parents say Walgreens mistakenly injected them and their two kids with the Covid-19 vaccine instead of flu shot - CNN (https://www.cnn.com/2021/10/13/us/parents-say-walgreens-mistake-covid-vaccine/index.html)

Ouch, not good!

[Eg_cruz]

Walgreens mistakenly injected parents and two kids age 4 and 5 with the Covid vaccine instead of the flu shot and now they are being treated for tachycardia and elevated blood pressure.

""They will probably do OK," said Dr. Peter Hotez, dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine. "The difference is they got a three times higher dose of a vaccine than is being tested in clinical trials."
The children have reportedly been suffering other side effects for over a week after receiving their shots.



Indiana parents say Walgreens mistakenly injected them and their two kids with the Covid-19 vaccine instead of flu shot - CNN (https://www.cnn.com/2021/10/13/us/parents-say-walgreens-mistake-covid-vaccine/index.html)
I have said from the beginning of all this madness
Stop pushing this crap on the young ones and this is exactly why
My grandson has POTs and it is hard on him, I feel bad what these two babies have facing them.

[Eg_cruz]

another Scam to get money !
So they babies now have a heart condition and you opinionated self is making uncalled for statements…..smh

[Eg_cruz]

And I would really wonder why parents would not be with children at a pharmacy? By federal law I pretty much understand there is no legal obligation of side effects to be sued for.
Smh……..the parents were with them all 4 got the wrong shot, second when they sue it because they were GIVEN THE WRONG SHOT and now they have side effects.

[Jerseyborn]

[QUOTE=MDLNB;2017680]Walgreens mistakenly injected parents and two kids age 4 and 5 with the Covid vaccine instead of the flu shot and now they are being treated for tachycardia and elevated blood pressure.

""They will probably do OK," said Dr. Peter Hotez, dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine. "The difference is they got a three times higher dose of a vaccine than is being tested in clinical trials."
The children have reportedly been suffering other side effects for over a week after receiving their shots.



As a retired nurse, I couldn’t imagine this ever happening as the usual practice is drawing up the medicine right before injection. Having just received our flu shots, I noticed they were already drawn up and in a ziplock with our names on them. This practice frees up the pharmacist to go back to filling other prescriptions but opens the door to errors as described here.

[MDLNB]

So if a doctor cut off your arm by accident because he was slammed is that an excuse?


I apologize that you could not comprehend my comment. "Not an excuse, but might half way explain such a dangerous mistake."

[Bonnevie]

I apologize that you could not comprehend my comment. "Not an excuse, but might half way explain such a dangerous mistake."

as a retired pharmacist, this is our worst nightmare. from my observation, when you go for a shot, a technician enters it as a prescription. so it may be the label generated was for the wrong item and the pharmacist failed to verify....or the wrong item was put out for the pharmacist. any way it happened, it was a mistake.

when pharmacists were given the added responsibility of doing vaccines, I was aghast. having worked in retail, it is a nightmare at times. dr's. offices calling in, patients yelling at you because you can't fill something because you are waiting for the insurance company or the doctor's ofc. to give authorization, people wondering why it takes so long to take "pills from the big bottle and put them into the little bottle", people who have no refills screaming at you that you must give them a refill because they have to "be on this for life" and if you explain you need a new order then they say "well, I guess I'll just die then". so you give them enough until the dr.s office opens, people who want early refills, controlled substance problems, all those distractions constantly while you are trying to fill prescriptions lawfully while watching for drug interactions. then they added vaccine administration, most probably without adding more staff. so constant interruptions but the stress of never making a mistake.

chain retail stores like Walgreens and CVS have lobbied the legislature to increase the number of technicians one pharmacist is able to monitor. lobbyists for the chains have opposed measures such as limiting work hours and providing bathroom and meal breaks. They have quotas of prescriptions to fill.

I could never had an over 30 year career in pharmacy if all of it was in retail pharmacy. I lasted 2 years. 12 hour days, no breaks, if I had to use the bathroom I literally ran to it and ran back... I ate behind the counter. typical was the day I had sat down to each lunch, customer comes up with about 8 vials for refills, says, "oh lunch time--I'll be back in 20 minutes".

all of which is to not excuse making a mistake. as I said, it was all our worst nightmares. I guarantee you that pharmacist is feeling terrible. but piling on more work with no more people is a recipe for mistakes.

If you say, well you knew the job...not true. in pharmacy school you are taught the lofty role of patient counseling, drug interactions, etc. it doesn't prepare you for retail pharmacy. A pharmacist in Ireland described the job best. He said he considers his job "anger management".

sorry for the length...just wanted to give you a perspective on what you don't see and how this might have happened.

[tvbound]

as a retired pharmacist, this is our worst nightmare. from my observation, when you go for a shot, a technician enters it as a prescription. so it may be the label generated was for the wrong item and the pharmacist failed to verify....or the wrong item was put out for the pharmacist. any way it happened, it was a mistake.

when pharmacists were given the added responsibility of doing vaccines, I was aghast. having worked in retail, it is a nightmare at times. dr's. offices calling in, patients yelling at you because you can't fill something because you are waiting for the insurance company or the doctor's ofc. to give authorization, people wondering why it takes so long to take "pills from the big bottle and put them into the little bottle", people who have no refills screaming at you that you must give them a refill because they have to "be on this for life" and if you explain you need a new order then they say "well, I guess I'll just die then". so you give them enough until the dr.s office opens, people who want early refills, controlled substance problems, all those distractions constantly while you are trying to fill prescriptions lawfully while watching for drug interactions. then they added vaccine administration, most probably without adding more staff. so constant interruptions but the stress of never making a mistake.

chain retail stores like Walgreens and CVS have lobbied the legislature to increase the number of technicians one pharmacist is able to monitor. lobbyists for the chains have opposed measures such as limiting work hours and providing bathroom and meal breaks. They have quotas of prescriptions to fill.

I could never had an over 30 year career in pharmacy if all of it was in retail pharmacy. I lasted 2 years. 12 hour days, no breaks, if I had to use the bathroom I literally ran to it and ran back... I ate behind the counter. typical was the day I had sat down to each lunch, customer comes up with about 8 vials for refills, says, "oh lunch time--I'll be back in 20 minutes".

all of which is to not excuse making a mistake. as I said, it was all our worst nightmares. I guarantee you that pharmacist is feeling terrible. but piling on more work with no more people is a recipe for mistakes.

If you say, well you knew the job...not true. in pharmacy school you are taught the lofty role of patient counseling, drug interactions, etc. it doesn't prepare you for retail pharmacy. A pharmacist in Ireland described the job best. He said he considers his job "anger management".

sorry for the length...just wanted to give you a perspective on what you don't see and how this might have happened.

Working under those conditions and pressure, it's probably amazing that more mistakes aren't made and is a testament to the skill and professionalism of pharmacists like yourself. I'm also glad to hear that this pretty big screw-up, won't have a worse outcome for those poor kids.

[coffeebean]

I am more concerned about the health issue with the children (and the parents if they got another full dose of the vaccine) than the legal issues. According the article, Walgreens contacted the parents to inform them. I am really glad that they did that, in case something serious happens. I agree that there will be some sleepless nights for someone involved in that disaster.

I wouldn't be too concerned for the adults. There have been lots of people who have received full dose Moderna third shots. I won't call them "boosters' because that is not what they are. Moderna has received emergency approval for booster injections which are one half the dosage of the original first two vaccine injections.Certain criteria apply for those to be eligible for the booster shots.

[Djean1981]

Perhaps, the pharmacy realized the accident after the fact (after the family had left).

[kenoc7]

I am curious about the "rest of the story" regarding how this did or could happen.

There are steps in the procedure/process where one is asked/notified what they are receiving.

It must have been a total disconnect between pre vax documentation/post vax receipt and physically grabbed the wrong hypodermics.

Still begs the question of verification effectiveness.
Truth or fiction?????

[Escape Artist]

They weren't toddlers, they were 4 and 5 years old. That's pre-k and kindergarten age.

The "three times the amount" is comparative. They received the adult dose. There is no appropriate dose for 4-5 year old kids, at the moment.

Wow, don't go overboard on the empathy for the children! :rolleyes:

[The Caretaker]

I would own Walgreens!!!!!

[golfing eagles]

I would own Walgreens!!!!!

Very much doubt it. The plaintiffs will have to show damages, and based on the symptoms listed BY THEIR LAWYER, they don't have much at all. In fact, a good defense attorney will be able to attribute all their "side effects" to anxiety, or at least plant that idea in the jury's mind.

[Djean1981]

I hope the kids are ok. The shot wiped me out with severe body aches for a few days. So, I can't imagine getting a much larger dose.

[golfing eagles]

I hope the kids are ok. The shot wiped me out with severe body aches for a few days. So, I can't imagine getting a much larger dose.

That would entirely depend on whether that effect was idiosyncratic or dose related

[Luggage]

Not that I know of but I do know of several cases where the wrong knee was operated on or hip for an implant, which is why most doctors put a big x where they're going to operate on for these types of surgeries beforehand when you're awake

[Luggage]

There have probably been about 500 million shots given in America. I am surprised there have not been more than these two mistakes. My wife went just for a test several weeks ago and yes the lady behind the counter window was slammed doing this for 8 hours straight and yes I can see how a mistake can easily happen. I don't really know what the point was in even writing about this as probably getting hit by a car is a much higher percentage of happening as an accident

[DBChris]

I hate to state the obvious, but who gives flu shots to four and five year olds? My grandkids have never had a flu shot. The kids shouldn't even be in this equation.

[blueash]

I hate to state the obvious, but who gives flu shots to four and five year olds? My grandkids have never had a flu shot. The kids shouldn't even be in this equation.

I hate to state the obvious, but you don't know what you are writing about. Influenza vaccine has been recommended for ALL CHILDREN over 6 months of age for over a decade. And for those 6 to 24 months for two decades.

If you have any actual interest in understanding this recommendation read about it from the American Academy of Pediatrics (https://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/148/4/e2021053744)

A clear definitive statement from the CDC

"Everyone 6 months of age and older should get an influenza (flu) vaccine every season with rare exception. "

[terrild53]

For the life of me, why would parents not take their children to their Pediatrician for vaccination? Pharmacies are slammed everywhere giving hundreds of Covid vaccinations every day. It’s a recipe for error.

[golfing eagles]

I hate to state the obvious, but you don't know what you are writing about. Influenza vaccine has been recommended for ALL CHILDREN over 6 months of age for over a decade. And for those 6 to 24 months for two decades.

If you have any actual interest in understanding this recommendation read about it from the American Academy of Pediatrics (https://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/148/4/e2021053744)

A clear definitive statement from the CDC

"Everyone 6 months of age and older should get an influenza (flu) vaccine every season with rare exception. "

Thank you---I hate being the only one setting people straight

[Eg_cruz]

That would entirely depend on whether that effect was idiosyncratic or dose related
Smdh……..you think a 4 yr can image up a heart system.
Every one of your post is always the Covid-19 shot can do no harm.
I ready like the one where you said long Covid wasn’t real……
Now you write that a 4 and 5 yr can make up side effects ………smdh

[golfing eagles]

Smdh……..you think a 4 yr can image up a heart system.
Every one of your post is always the Covid-19 shot can do no harm.
I ready like the one where you said long Covid wasn’t real……
Now you write that a 4 and 5 yr can make up side effects ………smdh

I would respond, but I have no idea whatsoever what you are talking about.

But I'll try anyway:

I never said "long haul Covid" wasn't real, I pointed out that the symptoms were pretty much all somatic in nature and therefore hard to verify.

I never said that Covid vaccines could "do no harm", I stated again that most of the reported side effects were also somatic in nature, there are some that COULD be "real"

I don't know what "imaging up a heart systems" is supposed to mean, but I never stated that the kids made up symptoms and there was nothing stated that these kids had any cardiac symptoms, and if anything was "made up" it would not be by a 4 year old, but by their parent's attorney.

Please read before launching lame imaginary attacks on a subject that I doubt you are versed in.

[SusanStCatherine]

Our family is boycotting Walgreens. Too many errors. I had all our prescriptions transferred to Publix Pharmacy. Then they still filled one even though it was transferred out and I had just picked it up from Publix. I don't even have my prescriptions there anymore and they're still making errors. SMH

[golfing eagles]

Our family is boycotting Walgreens. Too many errors. I had all our prescriptions transferred to Publix Pharmacy. Then they still filled one even though it was transferred out and I had just picked it up from Publix. I don't even have my prescriptions there anymore and they're still making errors. SMH

I hope you realize that "Walgreen's" does not make mistakes, people make mistakes, and they can be found everywhere!

[PugMom]

Our family is boycotting Walgreens. Too many errors. I had all our prescriptions transferred to Publix Pharmacy. Then they still filled one even though it was transferred out and I had just picked it up from Publix. I don't even have my prescriptions there anymore and they're still making errors. SMH

dittos--last night i went to pick up my dog's meds & they gave me the wrong rx. it was for human high blood pressure. a tad furious, i called & was upset over the non-chalantness of the pharmacists reaction. i was given a sing-song reply of how over worked they are, no xtra help, no one given lunch breaks, no applicant's for jobs, (even though) there were 2 techs, 1 pharmacist & 1 tech doing shots.

[Gulfcoast]

"They will probably do o.k." How can the doctor even say that? These are the first children to receive an adult dosage of the Covid vaccine and it's not even approved at a pediatric dose for children, yet. They have no idea what the long term repercussions are going to be for those little ones.

There are a lot of frivolous lawsuits out there but if the parents choose to sue Walgreens I think they have a very solid case.

[Gulfcoast]

dittos--last night i went to pick up my dog's meds & they gave me the wrong rx. it was for human high blood pressure. a tad furious, i called & was upset over the non-chalantness of the pharmacists reaction. i was given a sing-song reply of how over worked they are, no xtra help, no one given lunch breaks, no applicant's for jobs, (even though) there were 2 techs, 1 pharmacist & 1 tech doing shots.

I had no idea that the pharmacies dispensed medication for animals. I've always gotten any meds for my dogs directly from the vet.

[Bonnevie]

ok, retired pharmacist here. let me give you two different scenarios I encountered trying to get moderna booster. I had an appt. at Publix at 430pm. when I arrived there was one pharmacist and one tech and about 6 people in chairs waiting for shots because Publix also does walk ins. That poor pharmacist was beside herself trying to do everything. While tech was working drive in, pharmacist had to handle pick up window. one customer had problems with the way prescription was written and she said she'd have to call dr. and didn't know when that could be as she was swamped. he at least didn't yell at her. another woman was demanding to know when she would get her shot and the pharmacist said you are next in line but I can't tell you exactly when because she was going to be the only one there in 20 min. after tech leaves. the poor pharmacist hadn't had anything to eat or drink all day because of being over run with walk ins for shots. I decided not to stay and add to her burden. on Sat. I went to Villages Discount Pharmacy, which is an extremely rare independently owned pharmacy. although the internet said they were open until 3pm, the sign on door said. 2pm. I was getting in my car to leave and the owner/pharmacist came out and asked what I needed. I told him I was looking for booster but would come another time because having been a pharmacist I would never contribute to making them stay later. He insisted I come in and he gave the booster. I was commenting that it's really gutsy to open an independent and he told me he retired from CVS and wanted to open a place where he could offer the kind of service pharmacies used to be able to give. he said he has time to call the doctors and gave me an example of a woman with a newborn with breathing issues where the dr. had ordered some newest drug which would have cost her $600.(unfortunately, MDs don't know about the cost, usually they prescribe it because some rep. told them it was far superior to older, less expensive alternatives). He was able to talk to dr. and explain and the dr. was agreeable to changing it to another med. that cost her $50. that's the kind of thing that the chain pharmacists just don't have the time or resources to do. He said when he started at CVS it was different but now it's just numbers and quotas pharmacists have to make. he takes calls on his cell phone after hours for emergencies. I was amazed and he truly has a calling to his work. so just saying if you want more personal attention you should consider giving him your business. his website said they even deliver. He's on rt 44 in Freedom Plaza in Wildwood.

[Boomer]

ok, retired pharmacist here. let me give you two different scenarios I encountered trying to get moderna booster. I had an appt. at Publix at 430pm. when I arrived there was one pharmacist and one tech and about 6 people in chairs waiting for shots because Publix also does walk ins. That poor pharmacist was beside herself trying to do everything. While tech was working drive in, pharmacist had to handle pick up window. one customer had problems with the way prescription was written and she said she'd have to call dr. and didn't know when that could be as she was swamped. he at least didn't yell at her. another woman was demanding to know when she would get her shot and the pharmacist said you are next in line but I can't tell you exactly when because she was going to be the only one there in 20 min. after tech leaves. the poor pharmacist hadn't had anything to eat or drink all day because of being over run with walk ins for shots. I decided not to stay and add to her burden. on Sat. I went to Villages Discount Pharmacy, which is an extremely rare independently owned pharmacy. although the internet said they were open until 3pm, the sign on door said. 2pm. I was getting in my car to leave and the owner/pharmacist came out and asked what I needed. I told him I was looking for booster but would come another time because having been a pharmacist I would never contribute to making them stay later. He insisted I come in and he gave the booster. I was commenting that it's really gutsy to open an independent and he told me he retired from CVS and wanted to open a place where he could offer the kind of service pharmacies used to be able to give. he said he has time to call the doctors and gave me an example of a woman with a newborn with breathing issues where the dr. had ordered some newest drug which would have cost her $600.(unfortunately, MDs don't know about the cost, usually they prescribe it because some rep. told them it was far superior to older, less expensive alternatives). He was able to talk to dr. and explain and the dr. was agreeable to changing it to another med. that cost her $50. that's the kind of thing that the chain pharmacists just don't have the time or resources to do. He said when he started at CVS it was different but now it's just numbers and quotas pharmacists have to make. he takes calls on his cell phone after hours for emergencies. I was amazed and he truly has a calling to his work. so just saying if you want more personal attention you should consider giving him your business. his website said they even deliver. He's on rt 44 in Freedom Plaza in Wildwood.


Thank you. I know a couple off retired pharmacists and they have talked about the changes they have seen. One of them retired fairly recently after more than 35 years and said that when the chains brought in flu shots, etc., as the pharmacists’ responsibility, things began to change with time demands becoming more and more difficult. He was retired before the Covid vaccine — which has to be making those time demands even more ridiculous.

The Mom and Pop/independent pharmacies — that most of us are old enough to remember — have almost disappeared. Most chains have stockholders to pay so they will push as far as they can for profit and safety can suffer.

. . .I think it is wise to always double check any prescription before taking it. The big, old PDR is mostly a thing of the past, of course, and besides people did not usually have their own. But now every pill can be checked on the internet to see if it is the right one.

I have found that the quality of generics can seem to vary, but there is not much we can do about that except pay attention if your generic changes to a different generic and you notice differences in the effect.

And then there are the unending recalls. When Lipitor went generic, it spawned so many generics that the patient ends up getting whatever one was the best price to the chain and that generic can change depending on who’s got the big contract at the time. . .but I digress. . .

Anyway, it is good to hear about the independent pharmacy available to Villagers. I am pretty sure some independents can get buying power through a group so the prices to the customer can be competitive.

Being a pharmacist has always meant a good career, but with the way they are treated by the chains now, I wonder how long it is going to be before future pharmacists decide to take their science brains elsewhere to a different career choice.

Boomer

[CFrance]

I had no idea that the pharmacies dispensed medication for animals. I've always gotten any meds for my dogs directly from the vet.
I get a pain med (Amantadine) for our senior dog from the pharmacy. It's for people but certain dogs can take it too. I've also gotten antibiotics and thyroid medicine for him at the pharmacy. Especially for antibiotics, our vet says it's much cheaper to get it from a pharmacy, and she writes the prescriptions.

[MDLNB]

ok, retired pharmacist here. let me give you two different scenarios I encountered trying to get moderna booster. I had an appt. at Publix at 430pm. when I arrived there was one pharmacist and one tech and about 6 people in chairs waiting for shots because Publix also does walk ins. That poor pharmacist was beside herself trying to do everything. While tech was working drive in, ...........


I didn't know that Publix had a drive-in window. Where is it located? The Pulix's that I frequent don't have a window, as far as I know.

[Bonnevie]

I didn't know that Publix had a drive-in window. Where is it located? The Pulix's that I frequent don't have a window, as far as I know.

the new one near lowes but I think the one on 44 does too

[Pairadocs]

And I would really wonder why parents would not be with children at a pharmacy? By federal law I pretty much understand there is no legal obligation of side effects to be sued for.

I think you are correct on that, you do sign away your rights as to "side effects", but I suspect, that ONLY applies to the shot or medication they SAY they are administering. Surely, if you sign away your rights regarding any side effects you get from a tenuous injection, and they give you an injection of penicillin, you must have some rights ?

[Pairadocs]

ok, retired pharmacist here. let me give you two different scenarios I encountered trying to get moderna booster. I had an appt. at Publix at 430pm. when I arrived there was one pharmacist and one tech and about 6 people in chairs waiting for shots because Publix also does walk ins. That poor pharmacist was beside herself trying to do everything. While tech was working drive in, pharmacist had to handle pick up window. one customer had problems with the way prescription was written and she said she'd have to call dr. and didn't know when that could be as she was swamped. he at least didn't yell at her. another woman was demanding to know when she would get her shot and the pharmacist said you are next in line but I can't tell you exactly when because she was going to be the only one there in 20 min. after tech leaves. the poor pharmacist hadn't had anything to eat or drink all day because of being over run with walk ins for shots. I decided not to stay and add to her burden. on Sat. I went to Villages Discount Pharmacy, which is an extremely rare independently owned pharmacy. although the internet said they were open until 3pm, the sign on door said. 2pm. I was getting in my car to leave and the owner/pharmacist came out and asked what I needed. I told him I was looking for booster but would come another time because having been a pharmacist I would never contribute to making them stay later. He insisted I come in and he gave the booster. I was commenting that it's really gutsy to open an independent and he told me he retired from CVS and wanted to open a place where he could offer the kind of service pharmacies used to be able to give. he said he has time to call the doctors and gave me an example of a woman with a newborn with breathing issues where the dr. had ordered some newest drug which would have cost her $600.(unfortunately, MDs don't know about the cost, usually they prescribe it because some rep. told them it was far superior to older, less expensive alternatives). He was able to talk to dr. and explain and the dr. was agreeable to changing it to another med. that cost her $50. that's the kind of thing that the chain pharmacists just don't have the time or resources to do. He said when he started at CVS it was different but now it's just numbers and quotas pharmacists have to make. he takes calls on his cell phone after hours for emergencies. I was amazed and he truly has a calling to his work. so just saying if you want more personal attention you should consider giving him your business. his website said they even deliver. He's on rt 44 in Freedom Plaza in Wildwood.

Oh so so so true. I too can remember what a "pharmacy and pharmacist" actually was. And I am sure many on here understand all too well, about the relationship of pharma reps, doctors, and how the whole "newest is best" works.

[Wyseguy]

Right! They only thing I can think of is that they may have been slammed with customers and short of employees. Not an excuse, but might half way explain such a dangerous mistake.

I don't know anything about the flu shot, but that might explain how they got THREE times the amount of serum.

On top of the fact that their toddlers got three times the normal amount of vaccine, the parents had already been vaccinated for Covid. Guess they won't need a booster for a while.

At least, three months.

[Jerseygirl08]

Obviously many have not worked in the medical field. Wonder if people in other professions made mistakes at their jobs? In this case, it was a human error that affected other humans, then went public. I'm sure the Pharmacist who made this error is suffering emotional pain. It's a really really really bad med error, for sure. Hopefully, they followed all the steps of verification correctly. Somewhere though, a big mistake was made and it cannot be taken back.

[Jerseygirl08]

And yes, the Pharmacists are now expected to multi-task and still NOT make any mistakes. In the medical fields, doctors/nurses/pharmacists/techs/CNA's (all medical folks) are being pushed to the brink. I'm a nurse and there are many 12 hr. shifts where I don't eat lunch until 5 pm. (My shifts start at 7 am). Go to the bathroom ???? Forget that. Most of the time, there's not even time to stop and drink fluids. You have to choose; eat, drink, stop to pee ----- and go home late and risk reprimand for overtime pay ----- or just keep on pushing through so you get out on time. I feel really bad for that PHARMACIST.

[MDLNB]

And yes, the Pharmacists are now expected to multi-task and still NOT make any mistakes. In the medical fields, doctors/nurses/pharmacists/techs/CNA's (all medical folks) are being pushed to the brink. I'm a nurse and there are many 12 hr. shifts where I don't eat lunch until 5 pm. (My shifts start at 7 am). Go to the bathroom ???? Forget that. Most of the time, there's not even time to stop and drink fluids. You have to choose; eat, drink, stop to pee ----- and go home late and risk reprimand for overtime pay ----- or just keep on pushing through so you get out on time. I feel really bad for that PHARMACIST.


Wow, sounds like the life of a police officer. Of course, when a police officer makes a mistake and shoots the wrong person, no one "feels really bad for" him or her. Regardless of how busy someone is when involved in a dangerous procedure, they KNOW by training what they are supposed to do. When my wife was given the wrong prescription mixed in with the correct medication, that was a serious mistake. I caught it before any damage was done, so I returned to the pharmacy and quietly informed the pharmacist. No harm, no foul. But, it was potentially a dangerous situation. I could have lost her. But, I didn't and I corrected the situation. I can only imagine how the parents would have felt if they would have lost one or both of their children due to a negligent action, perhaps due to the work force being stretched too thin, or someone having a bad day.

[Bonnevie]

I disagree that "no one feels sorry" for a police officer who accidentally shoots the wrong person. The key word is accidentally. sometimes it's inappropriate use for the situation that they are held accountable for. (before everyone piles on...my father, uncle, and brother were all police officers and I am not anti-police.)