CHARLESTON – A Kanawha County woman says she was hospitalized after being given three vaccines at the same time.
Beth Ann George filed her complaint April 5 in Kanawha Circuit Court against Dr. Leela Kiran Patel, Kroger Specialty Pharmacy Holdings I Inc., Kroger Specialty Pharmacy FL2 LLC and Kroger Limited Partnership I.
According to the complaint, George had a telemedicine visit with Patel on November 25, 2020. George, who was 60 at the time, was advised to get the three vaccinations: a flu shot, Prevnar 13 and a shingles vaccine. George says Patel did not tell her to space out the vaccines.
Five days later, George went to the Kroger at Ashton Place in Charleston to get the three vaccinations. The complaint notes that a registered pharmacist would have had to approve her being administered the three vaccines, which were Flublok Quad 2020-2021, Pneumovax 23 and Shingrix.
On December 3, 2020, George says she had another telemedicine appointment with Patel and reported symptoms that started after the received the three vaccines. She reported malaise, sore throat, nausea and vomiting. She also said she wasn’t sleeping well, was fatigued and had loose stools for one day. Patel prescribed Zofran for the nausea and Pepcid and told George to go to the ER if her symptoms didn’t improve because of her underlying Addison’s Disease.
Two days later, George did go to Charleston Area Medical Center’s ER. She was admitted for four days. Her charts show she had intermittent slurred speech, her TSH was elevated at over 15, and she had acute kidney injury with a creatinine greater than 6.
“George’s lab values were remarkably deranged,” the complaint states. “She was diagnosed with acute adrenal crisis, hypothyroidism and acute renal failure. Her viral respiratory panel was negative.”
George accuses Patel of negligence, saying she should have known vaccines can act as a stressor to induce adrenal crisis especially given George’s history of hypothyroidism, Addison’s Disease and being immune compromised from long-term corticosteroid use. She also accuses the Kroger defendants of negligence, saying they should have known of her Addison’s Disease and immune compromised history based on her medications. She says they also should have consulted Patel about administering three vaccines at one time to an immunocompromised patient.
She says she suffered a medical emergency that required hospitalization, incurred medical expenses, suffered loss of enjoyment of life, pain and suffering and other damages.
George seeks compensatory damages, pre- and post-judgment interests and other relief. She is being represented by Mark R. Staun of the Hartley Law Group in Charleston. The case has been assigned to Circuit Judge Kenneth Ballard.
Kanawha Circuit Court case number 23-C-296
