CLALLAM BAY, Wash. — Nearly two dozen Clallam County inmates received an unauthorized COVID-19 treatment during an on-site vaccine clinic last week.
Twenty-three incarcerated individuals and one staff member at the Clallam Bay Corrections Center were administered Regen Cov, a monoclonal antibody treatment for COVID-19, on Feb. 10, according to the Washington State Department of Corrections (DOC). The inmates and staffer were supposed to receive a dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.
Those who received the medication were notified and medical staff assessed them. No serious adverse reactions have been identified, and the department will continue to monitor them, according to DOC.
The department has started an investigation into the incident.
Regen Cov is not authorized for use in the U.S. after the Food and Drug Administration amended its Emergency Use Authorization for the drug on Jan. 24. The FDA changed its recommendation, because the omicron variant is not susceptible to the treatment, and that variant is prevalent throughout the U.S. Regen Cov remains an investigational drug, according to the company.
The DOC has administered full COVID vaccination to 53% of the incarcerated population at Clallam Bay Corrections Center and partial vaccination to 3.4%. However, the DOC said additional inmates may have received their vaccinations in the community.
In the last 30 days, Clallam Bay has had 143 positive COVID-19 cases, according to DOC data. It has reported 411 cases and one death since the start of the pandemic.