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A Wisconsin pharmacist admitted to trying to destroy hundreds of doses of the coronavirus vaccine because he mistakenly believed they were dangerous.
Steven Brandenburg, 46, faces up to 10 years in prison after agreeing to plead guilty to two counts of attempted falsification of consumer products with reckless disregard for the risk of another person being put in danger death or bodily injury. The plea deal was released on Tuesday.
“The falsification of vaccine doses in the midst of a global health crisis calls for a strong response, as evidenced by the serious accusations brought today by the United States,” said Acting Deputy Attorney General Brian Boynton of the division Civil Justice Ministry in a statement. Release.
Brandenburg was working two night shifts as a hospital pharmacist in Grafton, north of Milwaukee, on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day when he pulled a box of Moderna vaccine out of a freezer for several hours in order to try to spoil them.
On December 26, some 57 people received doses of these specific vaccines.
Prosecutors said they were still trying to determine whether those people had received ineffective or harmful vaccines as a result of Brandenburg’s actions.
Brandenburg admitted in his plea agreement that he was a supporter of conspiracies and that he was “skeptical of vaccines in general and the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine in particular.”
The Grafton Police Department previously said the pharmacist mistakenly believed the vaccine could alter people’s DNA – which he cannot.
COVID-19 vaccines, including those from Moderna, have been rigorously tested for safety and cleared by the Food and Drug Administration. More than 23.5 million doses of the vaccine were administered in the United States on Tuesday.
“The distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine is essential to overcome this pandemic, which continues to end lives and disrupt our economy,” said US Attorney Matthew D. Krueger. “As these accusations show, the Department of Justice will prosecute anyone – and in particular any healthcare professional – who tampers with the vaccine.”
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