Loudon County Health Department says Virginia pharmacy administered adult COVID vaccine dosage to 112 children ages 5-11



The Loudon County Health Department barred a Virginia pharmacy from the state's vaccination program after it reportedly administered the incorrect COVID-19 dosage to at least 112 young children last week. The Ted Pharmacy in Aldie, Virginia, allegedly "incorrectly administered" partial doses of adult COVID-19 vaccines to children ages 5-11.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states, "Adolescents ages 12 years and older receive the same dosage of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine as adults."

The CDC notes, "The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for children ages 5 through 11 years has the same active ingredients as the vaccine given to adults and adolescents. However, children ages 5 through 11 years cannot get the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine given to adults and adolescents."

"In addition, children ages 5 through 11 years receive an age-appropriate dose that is one-third of the adult dose of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine," the health agency explains. "Smaller needles, designed specifically for children, are also used for children ages 5 through 11 years."

The Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine are contained in color-coded vials to distinguish between vaccines intended for 5 to 11-year-olds and those 12 and older. The vaccine mix-up was exposed by an eagle-eyed mother who knew the differences in the colors of the vials.

Dasha Hermosilla noticed that her 7-year-old daughter was getting a vaccine with a purple cap – for kids aged 12 and older. The mother knew her daughter was supposed to get a vaccine with an orange cap – designated for children ages 5-11.

Hermosilla told WRC-TV, "I had this pit in my stomach like, what did they just do to my daughter?"

The mother reportedly confronted the pharmacist about the vaccine mistake.The pharmacist allegedly told her that it was fine for her 7-year-old to receive the vaccine made for older kids.

She did an internet search and didn't see any medical information stating that the two vaccines are interchangeable.

"I would have never done this if I knew they were giving the adult reformulated vaccine. Absolutely not," Hermosilla told WTTG. "I should've pushed her to show me the vile of orange which she didn't have and then I should've left."

"There are dozens and dozens of families out there that don't even know that this is an issue," Hermosilla said.

Loudoun County Department of Health Director David Goodfriend wrote in a letter, "The pharmacy who administered the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccination to your child last week has been removed from both state and federal COVID-19 vaccination programs."

Goodfriend told the Washington Post, "Because they did not have the children's formulation they used the adult formulation but only gave a third of the amount to the children."

"Our understanding from Ted Pharmacy is they were trying to do a workaround, which is not authorized," Goodfriend continued. "If it doesn't all go in, or if goes into the body but doesn't go into the muscle, or you didn't draw it up exactly to the [correct] line, there's a chance you might get too little vaccine. There's also a chance it could have given too much."

Authorities confiscated the remaining amount of Ted Pharmacy's COVID-19 vaccines and ordered it to contact the families of those who had received the incorrect shots.

The board of pharmacy would not reveal to WTTG if there is an active investigation into the vaccine mistake, and would not say if the pharmacy violated any laws or regulations.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized the emergency use of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for children ages 5 through 11 on Oct. 29. The CDC recommended children get the vaccine on Nov. 2.

'Creepy' Pfizer ad features young children saying kids who participated in COVID-19 vaccine trials are 'superheroes'



A new commercial from Pfizer characterized young children who participated in the COVID-19 vaccine trial as "superheroes." The controversial commercial from the multinational pharmaceutical and biotechnology corporation has been described by some as "creepy" and "propaganda."

On Monday, Pfizer released an ad on its social media accounts with the caption: "Superheroes come in all sizes. Watch as real kids express thanks to their superheroes; the 5-11 year old #Covid19 vaccine clinical trial volunteers. We're incredibly grateful to the trial participants and their families."

The commercial from Pfizer features young children wearing makeshift superhero outfits. The video is narrated by a child who says, "All of us want to be superheroes, and the most important heroes are those that help others."

"This year, thousands of kids like us around the world joined the COVID-19 vaccine trial, and when they did, they became our superheroes," the child says. "To all the kids who volunteered, we'd like to say, "Thank you!'"

Then various children are seen on the video thanking the kids who participated in the pediatric vaccine trials. The children thank the vaccine trial participants for their "courage," trying new things," and "the ability to save people."

One little girl calls the COVID-19 vaccine a "superhero shot."

"Fight coronavirus and help others," a little boy says in the ad.

"Thank you. You are our superheroes," the commercial concludes before the Pfizer logo appears.

Thank You! 5-11 Year Old Covid19 Vaccine Clinical Trial Volunteers www.youtube.com

Pfizer may have anticipated some backlash on YouTube, where the comments were disabled on the video.


TheBlaze journalist Daniel Horowitz wholeheartedly agreed with the congressman, "No Republican should get your vote in a primary if they haven't publicly sworn off funding from this evil company."

RedState managing editor Jennifer Van Laar simply said, "Brainwashing."

Economic researcher and futurist Chris Martenson wrote on Twitter, "This is awful. The message is beyond creepy ('you're special if you agree to allow adults to experiment on you'). I hate everything about this."

British political commentator Calvin Robinson stated, "Sinister. 'They're after your kids', another conspiracy theory proven to in fact have been a spoiler all along."

Last week, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized the emergency use of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for children ages 5 through 11. This week, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) then recommended children get the vaccine. On Wednesday, a San Francisco health official said the city plans on enacting a vaccine mandate that would require children ages 5 to 11 to show proof of vaccination in order to enter various settings.

A Kaiser Family Foundation poll released last week found that only 27% of parents of 5-11 year-olds are "eager to get a vaccine for their younger child as soon as one is authorized, while a third say they will wait a while to see how the vaccine is working." There were 30% of parents who declared that they will not get their 5-11-year-old vaccinated against COVID-19.

"Parents' main concerns when it comes to vaccinating their younger children ages 5-11 have to do with potential unknown long-term effects and serious side effects of the vaccine, including two-thirds who are concerned the vaccine may affect their child's future fertility," the KFF stated.

In U.S. children ages 5-11, there have been 94 COVID-19 deaths (1.7% of all deaths among U.S. children ages 5–11) between Jan. 1, 2020, and Oct. 18, 2021, according to the CDC.

Doctor on FDA panel says only way to learn about COVID vaccine effects in children is to 'start giving it'



Dr. Eric Rubin, who sits on the Food and Drug Administration independent advisory panel, justified recommending the Pfizer COVID vaccine for young children Tuesday by deferring to potential upsides despite unknown side effects.

What is the background?

Nearly one year after the government approved the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines for adults, an FDA advisory panel recommended — by a vote of 17-0, with one abstention — granting emergency authorization of the Pfizer vaccine for children ages 5 to 11.

As the Washington Post noted, the advisory board's advice is nonbinding. However, the FDA is certain to grant emergency authorization.

Next, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will have to authorize vaccinating children. Once CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky gives approval, which may come as soon as next week, young children can begin receiving the Pfizer vaccine.

Child recipients will receive one-third the dose given to adults.

What did Dr. Rubin say?

Before the vote, panel members presented their opinions and concerns about giving the COVID vaccine to children.

Despite the unknown, Rubin — a physician at Boston's Brigham and Women's Hospital and immunology professor at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health — said the vaccine should be approved for children. Many other experts on the panel voiced similar opinions.

"The data show that the vaccine works and is pretty safe ... and yet we're worried about a side effect that we can't measure yet, but it's probably real," Rubin said.

"What sways me here is that it's a very, sort of, personal choice. If I had a child who was a transplant recipient, I would really want to be able to use a vaccine like this. And there are certainly kids who probably should be vaccinated," he explained. "The question of how broadly we use it, though, I think is a substantial one. I know it's not our question ... but I do think that it's a relatively close call."

In fact, according to Rubin, the vaccine should be approved in spite of the unknown, for administering the vaccine is the only way possible to learn of potential side effects.

"It really is going to be a question of what the prevailing conditions are," Rubin said. "But we're never going to learn about how safe this vaccine is unless we start giving it. That's just the way it goes."

"That's how we found out about rare complications of other vaccines," he added. "And I do think that we should vote to approve it."

FDA votes on approval of the Pfizer vaccine for children aged 5-11 | USA Today youtu.be

Interestingly, the panel member who abstained from voting — Michael Kurilla, an infectious diseases expert at the National Institutes of Health — said kids who have contracted COVID-19 in the past may not need the vaccine.

"There are high-risk individuals, and I think they do need to be attended to. We do need to provide a vaccine for them," Kurilla said. "But for many others, one dose or no dose, even. If they've had prior COVID infection, they may not need anything more."