Woman says Walgreens pharmacist denied her vaccine despite a prescription. Then is baffled when they allegedly admit to malpractice
Was he just misinformed?
A woman undergoing immunosuppressive therapy visited a local Walgreens in Texas to refill her prescription, only to be told by the pharmacist that they couldn’t dispense her shingles vaccine because of her age. The incident was shared by Skye Polk (@skyepolk), who described the shocking experience of being told that her first dose was allegedly an error.
“I was denied a vaccine today in Texas, and I’m still kind of shocked,” Polk said in her video on TikTok. According to Polk, she went to pick up her second dose of the shingles vaccine, which is used to prevent shingles and its related complications, because her immunosuppressive therapy makes her vulnerable as a neuropsychiatric lupus patient.
Polk said she returned to the same Walgreens where she received her first shingles vaccine dose and went through the routine of making an appointment, signing in, and waiting for her turn at the pharmacy. But when it was finally her turn, the pharmacist allegedly told Polk they couldn’t give her the shingles vaccine due to her age. “You’re too young. Shingles vaccines are for people 50 and older,” the pharmacist said, per Polk.
Walgreens pharmacist refuses to dispense prescribed vaccine
Polk initially thought that there was a misunderstanding and explained that she was immunocompromised and already on her second dose of the vaccine. Polk claimed that the pharmacist told her that it “doesn’t matter” and reiterated that she was “too young” to be prescribed it.
Naturally, Polk was left confused about how she received the first dose if she wasn’t allowed the vaccine. The pharmacist, however, allegedly said the words a patient wouldn’t want to hear from a healthcare professional: “Well, that was a mistake. We should never have given you that first vaccine.”
While the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirms that two doses of the shingles vaccine are generally recommended for those 50 years old and older, the CDC noted that those 19 years old and older may also receive two doses of the shingles vaccine if they are immunodeficient or immunosuppressed. Although Polk didn’t specify her age, the pharmacist had no valid reason to deny the prescribed vaccine unless she was under 19 or lacked a prescription.
Polk took notice of the pharmacist’s seeming admission of error and was left baffled, questioning whether the incident amounted to malpractice. “What are you talking about? Like, also, are we just, like, verbally admitting to malpractice? Because, what?” Polk said in the video.
According to The Brothers Law Firm, dispensing the wrong dosage or medication is a frequent form of medical malpractice in Texas. But like any legal proceeding, a medication error only qualifies as malpractice if it doesn’t meet the established standard of care and results in harm to the patient.
Polk says she will file a report on the pharmacist
To have a medical malpractice case, the patient will have to prove that the medication error was due to the healthcare provider’s negligence and that it caused a worsened health condition or injury. Damages in the form of increased medical bills and financial losses as a result of the negligence are also taken into account. That being said, it’s still uncertain whether Polk has grounds for a medical malpractice case based on the video alone, or if this was simply a situation of a pharmacist being misinformed.
Nevertheless, Polk said she tried explaining her condition to the pharmacist, citing a prescription from a rheumatologist, her immunocompromised status, and having lupus. The pharmacist acknowledged she had a prescription for her first dose, but allegedly still refused to dispense the second. Polk said the pharmacist canceled her vaccine appointment despite her protests.
Viewers weighed in on the incident, with those in the medical field advising Polk to report the Walgreens pharmacist to officials for supposedly overstepping boundaries. “Pharmacist here… that’s insane and look into reporting to the state board,” a viewer wrote. Another added, “File the complaints. Coming from a pharmacy support representative, this was improper procedure, someone from the pharmacy should have contacted the prescriber.”
Polk said she received a new prescription from her rheumatologist and planned to file a complaint against the pharmacist to prevent a similar incident from happening to others who need medication. “There’s someone out there who doesn’t have as many spoons as me and that he could put in real danger by refusing a fill or a vaccine,” Polk told viewers.
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