Moderna vaccine missing in Wisconsin: police arrest former pharmacist

by



[ad_1]

Investigators believe the man withdrew the vaccine “knowing it would not be usable,” a police press release said.

Police say the hospital pharmacist provided public safety officials at Aurora Medical Center in Grafton with a written statement saying he intentionally removed the vials, knowing that if they were not stored properly, the doses would be ineffective.

The man, an unidentified Grafton resident, could face charges of recklessly endangering first-degree security, falsifying a prescription drug and criminal damage to property.

All three charges are crimes, the statement said.

Police officials said the former employee was being held at the Ozaukee County Jail.

Removing the vials from refrigeration at the medical center just north of Milwaukee, and the need to throw them away on Saturday, means more than 500 doses have been lost, attorney Aurora Health said.

The vials were thrown away Saturday at Aurora Medical Center, north of Milwaukee.

“It was a violation of our core values, and the individual is no longer employed by us,” read a press release from the hospital system on Wednesday.

Dose destruction was widely reported earlier this week when the hospital system said it believed Moderna Covid-19 vaccine vials “were not being replaced in the refrigerator after being temporarily removed for access to other articles “in the hospital.

“We are more than disappointed that this person’s actions are causing a delay of more than 500 people receiving their vaccine,” the statement said.

Grafton Police said the hospital system contacted them on Wednesday night about “an employee who tampered with vials of Covid-19 vaccine.”

“This matter is being actively investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Food and Drug Administration and the Grafton Police Department,” Grafton Police said.

Neither the police nor the health care system have publicly discussed a motive.

CNN has requested comment from the FBI.

Moderna says her vaccine should generally be stored at temperatures below what a refrigerator can provide. But it can also last 30 days in normal refrigeration, giving hospitals and pharmacies flexibility in storage and distribution.

The hospital system did not report the time between when the vials were removed from the refrigerator and when they were discovered.

The vaccine can last up to 12 hours out of a refrigerator, according to Moderna. An unspecified number of withdrawn vials were used to vaccinate some staff within the 12-hour window, the hospital said.

“Unfortunately, most had to be thrown out,” the hospital’s initial statement said.

CNN’s Dave Alsup and Andrea Diaz contributed to this report.

[ad_2]

Source link