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A pharmacist at a Wisconsin hospital was arrested for allegedly removing doses of the Covid-19 vaccine from a refrigerator overnight to render them unnecessary so that people who received them would believe they had been vaccinated while ‘they had not been, police said.
Aurora Medical Center in Grafton, Wisc., Initially disclosed the event on Saturday, claiming that 57 vials of Moderna vaccine containing around 570 doses were accidentally left out overnight by a staff pharmacist.
In a press briefing Thursday, Aurora Medical Group chairman Jeff Bahr said that as the investigation continued the employee began to act suspiciously and after further questioning he admitted on Wednesday that he had intentionally left out the vaccine.
The hospital said the pharmacist, who has not been publicly identified, has been fired and the case has been referred to police. Dr Bahr said he did not know the pharmacist’s motives, but there was no evidence that the vials had been tampered with in any other way.
Grafton Police said their investigation revealed that the pharmacist, a Grafton resident, removed the vials from the refrigerator “knowing they would be unnecessary and people who received the vaccinations would think they had been vaccinated against the virus when in fact they were not. “
The pharmacist has been charged with recklessly endangering safety, tampering with a prescription drug and criminal damage to property. The man’s name was not immediately disclosed pending notification of the charges, police said.
Moderna’s Covid-19 vaccine is supposed to be stored in a refrigerator between 36 degrees and 46 degrees Fahrenheit, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Dr Bahr said that after consulting with Moderna, it was determined that the vaccine that had been left out remained viable and was then given to 57 patients.
These patients have since been contacted and are being monitored for any signs that the vaccine they received was less effective.
Wisconsin had administered 47,157 doses of the Covid-19 vaccine as of Dec. 29 – most of which were the Pfizer version, according to the state.
Wisconsin recorded 2,755 new coronavirus cases and 35 deaths on Wednesday, according to the state’s health department.
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