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The Wisconsin hospital worker accused of deliberately removing 57 vials of a COVID-19 vaccine from a pharmacy refrigerator has been arrested, local police said Thursday. The worker had previously been fired by Aurora Medical Center, which said it was forced to throw away more than 500 doses of the vaccine as a result of the incident.
Grafton Police said the individual was arrested on three counts: first degree reckless endangerment of security, adulteration of a prescription drug and criminal damage to property, all of which are felonies. . Police did not name the individual, but identified him as a male. The suspect is being held at the Ozaukee County Jail.
The hospital opened an investigation and was initially 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.
The department said some patients had been vaccinated with unrefrigerated doses. But he said health officials don’t believe anyone who has been given a dose that was not refrigerated properly is at medical risk, and instead described those doses as “unnecessary.” The ministry estimated the spoiled vaccines to be worth between $ 8,000 and $ 11,000.
Grafton Police previously said the Department, FBI, and Food and Drug Administration were “actively” investigating the case.
“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.
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 actually 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.
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