Some people got saline shots instead of COVID vaccine at a North Carolina Walgreens

A North Carolina Walgreens mistakenly gave some people a saline injection instead of the COVID-19 vaccine.

Walgreens recently learned a “limited number” of people at a location in Monroe were affected and that the company has contacted them about the mistake, Rebekah Pajak, a spokesperson for the company, told McClatchy News in a statement Sunday.

The company did not specify how many people were affected or at which store the mix up occurred.

Those who received saline injections were given the COVID-19 vaccine as soon as they were able to return to the pharmacy, Walgreens said.

“These patients will later receive their second dose within the appropriate time frame,” the statement said.

Walgreens says it’s investigating the incident and reviewing procedures with the Monroe location to “prevent this from occurring again.”

The company says it had administered more than 8 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine as of March 31, including 4 million in March alone.

In North Carolina, health officials say more than 2.7 million people have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19. A person is considered fully vaccinated after receiving two doses of the Moderna or Pfizer vaccine or one dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

Monroe is in Union County, about 27 miles from Charlotte.

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