Ontario man left with questions after Shoppers Drug Mart gave him and 12 others expired vaccine doses
An Ontario man says he’s feeling confused and frustrated after he was one of 12 individuals vaccinated with an expired COVID-19 vaccine dose at a Vaughan Shoppers Drug Mart last week.
Sina Copur said he visited the Shoppers Drug Mart at 9200 Weston Road on Nov. 16 to receive his second dose of the COVID-19 vaccination.
The appointment went smoothly, but the next day, he said he received a call from the pharmacy informing him that he had been vaccinated with an expired dose of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine.
“After I got my shot, everything was okay — I left the shop after 15 minutes,” Copur told CTV News Toronto on Thursday. “The next day, on Wednesday, the owner of the pharmacy gave me a call and he told me ‘We are so sorry, but the COVID-19 vaccine had expired.’”
Copur said his initial concerns were surrounding his health.
“First, I asked a couple of questions about the future outcomes of the expired vaccination on my health,” he said. “[The pharmacist] told me that York Public Health (YPH) would be in touch with me as soon as possible.”
When reached for comment, YPH confirmed that, between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m on Nov. 16, 12 individuals were administered vaccine doses that had expired the previous day.
“The Shoppers Drug Mart location has attempted to contact all 12 individuals to alert them of the error,” York Region spokesperson Melissa Pinto told CTV News Toronto in a statement on Thursday.
Copur said that the day after the pharmacy informed him of his expired dose, public health got in touch with him, stating that they were in the process of contacting Pfizer manufacturers and that it would take up to three business days to hear back.
Yet, hours later, Copur said he received another call from the pharmacy owner, telling him that he had been able to reach Pfizer himself and that the dose had been confirmed as “valid.”
“He told me that the vaccination is valid, that nothing would happen to my health,” he said.
Copur said the timeline of the correspondence confused him.
“Public health is telling me that Pfizer will get back to them in three business days, but the owner of the pharmacy just managed to get in touch with Pfizer in hours and called me back,” he said. “So, I was not satisfied with the answers of both the public health unit and the owner of the pharmacy.”
York Public Health told CTV News Toronto that they sent a “a vaccine viability assessment request” to Pfizer promptly after being alerted to the situation, which concluded “that the quality and integrity of the vaccine would not be affected in this scenario.”
Copur says he hasn’t received correspondence from York Public Health since their initial phone call, leaving him with more questions than answers.
When reached for comment, Loblaws, the parent company of Shoppers Drug Mart, confirmed the incident to CTV News Toronto.
“This was an isolated incident at the store, where a vaccine was given one day after its expiry date,” Loblaws Public Relations said in a statement.
“The owner took immediate action, contacting the local public health unit, who reached out to the vaccine manufacturer,” they said. “Public health has confirmed there was absolutely no risk to the customer, and the dose is considered valid and effective.”
Loblaws said that they have apologized to the patient, adding that they have “put additional processes in place to ensure this doesn’t happen again.”
Loblaws’ statement did not include that eleven additional individuals also received expired vaccine doses.
Copur said despite the pharmacist reassuring him that the dose was “valid,” he is still dealing with frustration and confusion around the incident.
“I wasn't satisfied at all,” he said. “He doesn't know what's going to happen in the future.”
“This is not an egg or milk on the shelf. This is a vaccination and it's circulating in my body. You cannot take it out.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Nine suspects arrested in $24M gold heist at Toronto Pearson International Airport: Peel police
Nine people have been arrested in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year, Peel Regional Police said Wednesday.
Some of the winners and losers in the 2024 federal budget
With a variety of fiscal and policy measures announced in the federal budget, winners include small businesses and fintech companies while losers include the tobacco industry and Canadian pension funds.
Gas prices across Ontario expected to climb to levels not seen since 2022, analyst says
Ontario is going to see a big jump at the pumps later this week as gas prices in the province hit levels not seen in nearly two years, according to one industry analyst.
Canada is expected to win 22 medals at the Paris Olympics
Canada is expected to win a total of 22 medals, including six gold, at the Paris Summer Olympics, which open on July 26.
500 Newfoundlanders wound up on the same cruise and it turned into a rocking kitchen party
A Celebrity Apex cruise to the Caribbean this month turned into a rocking Newfoundland kitchen party when hundreds of people from Canada's easternmost province happened to be booked on the same ship.
Liberals must now sell a budget they say will help younger Canadians catch up
It's now up to the federal Liberal government to sell a spending plan it says will help younger Canadians catch up to their elders.
Father of boy accused of stabbing 2 Australian clerics saw no signs of extremism, Muslim leader says
The father of a boy accused of stabbing two Christian clerics in Australia saw no signs of his son’s extremism, a Muslim community leader said on Wednesday as police began arresting suspected rioters who besieged a Sydney church demanding revenge.
Ontario woman out $30K after investing in mortgage company accused of being unlicensed
An Ontario nurse is fighting to recover tens of thousands of dollars in savings she invested in a mortgage company that has since been accused of operating without a licence.
Young New Brunswick songwriter makes appearance on 'The Kelly Clarkson Show'
Eight-year-old songwriter Zuri Hamilton from Miramichi, N.B., got to show off her talent on 'The Kelly Clarkson Show' on Monday.