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A Wisconsin hospital worker was fired for intentionally removing the COVID-19 vaccine from a refrigerator – forcing the hospital to throw away more than 500 doses. Aurora Medical Center – Grafton, outside of Milwaukee, said Wednesday that 57 vials of Moderna vaccine had been taken out of a pharmacy refrigerator and left overnight.
The hospital opened an investigation and was led to believe that inadvertent human error was to blame, CBS Chicago reported. But on Wednesday, the worker responsible admitted to doing it on purpose, attorney Aurora Health said.
Grafton Police said in a statement that the Department, the FBI and the Food and Drug Administration were “actively” investigating the case. Police said Thursday morning that no further information would be immediately released and declined to say whether any arrests had been made.
“We continue to believe that vaccination is our way out of the pandemic,” lawyer Aurora Health said in a statement. “We are more than disappointed that the actions of this person are causing a delay of more than 500 people receiving their vaccine. It was a violation of our core values and the person is no longer employed by us.
Grafton Police said “no comment” when CBS Chicago’s Marissa Parra called and asked if they were involved or investigating the incident.
Like the other vaccine approved for emergency use in the United States, manufactured by Pfizer, the Moderna vaccine requires initial transport and storage at freezing temperatures, but can then be stored locally at more typical refrigeration temperatures. for several days before use.
Despite federal officials’ stated goal of vaccinating 20 million Americans by the end of this year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s COVID Data Tracker, only about 12 million doses had been distributed as of Thursday morning, and less than 3 million had been. administered.
Officials from health and social services, the Department of Defense and Operation Warp Speed - the military-led operation to deliver vaccines across the country – told reporters on Wednesday that the Slower-than-expected administration of shots might be due in part to a delay in reporting, but they acknowledged that not all vaccine doses had reached their intended destination.
Army General Gustave Perna, COO of Operation Warp Speed, admitted some of the doses were still “on the road,” as he said on Wednesday. Nonetheless, he expressed confidence in the government’s efforts to vaccinate Americans against the coronavirus.
“We are doing really well, in my opinion, in the distribution,” he said, contradicting CDC figures as he said on Wednesday that “more than 14 million doses of the vaccine have been distributed.”
Audrey McNamara of CBSNews.com contributed to this report.
First published on December 31, 2020/3: 32
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