A Wisconsin hospital worker accused of intentionally removing 57 ampoules of a COVID-19 vaccine from a pharmacy refrigerator has been arrested, local police said Thursday. The worker had already been fired by Aurora Medical Center, which said it had been forced to drop more than 500 doses of vaccine as a result of the incident.
Grafton police said the individual was arrested on three recommended charges: first-degree safe harassment, adulteration of prescription drugs and material damage to property, all of which are felony offenses. Police did not name the individual, but identified him as a man. The suspect is being held at Ozaukee County Jail.
The hospital launched an investigation and was initially led to believe that the involuntary human error was to blame, CBS Chicago reported. On Wednesday, the worker who was responsible admitted that he did it on purpose, said lawyer Aurora Health.
The department indicated that some patients had been vaccinated with non-refrigerated doses. But he said health officials did not believe that anyone who received a dose that was not properly refrigerated was exposed to medical risk and instead described those doses as “unnecessary”. The department estimated that the value of the pampered vaccines is between $ 8,000 and $ 11,000.
Grafton police have previously said the department, the FBI and the Food and Drug Administration are “actively” investigating the case.
“We continue to believe that vaccination is our way out of the pandemic,” Aurora Health’s lawyer said in a statement. “We are more than disappointed that this individual’s actions will lead to a delay of more than 500 people receiving the vaccine. This was a violation of our core values and the individual is no longer employed by us.”
Like the other vaccine approved for emergency use in the United States by Pfizer, the Moderna vaccine requires transport and initial storage at freezing temperatures, but can then be stored locally at more typical refrigeration temperatures for a few days before use.
Despite federal officials’ stated goal of immunizing 20 million Americans by the end of this year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, COVID Data Tracker, only about 12 million doses were distributed by Thursday morning. less than 3 million had actually been administered.
Officials with Health and Human Services, the Department of Defense and Operation Warp Speed - a military-led operation to deliver vaccines across the country – told reporters on Wednesday that slower-than-expected shootings could be due in part to a slowdown. gap in reporting, but acknowledged that not all vaccine doses reached their intended destinations.
Army General Gustave Perna, the chief officer of Operation Warp Speed, acknowledged that some of the doses were still “on the way”, as he spoke on Wednesday. However, he expressed confidence in the government’s efforts to inoculate Americans against coronavirus.
“Indeed, we are doing well, in my opinion, in distribution,” he said, contradicting CDC figures, saying on Wednesday that “more than 14 million doses of vaccine have been distributed.”
Audrey McNamara of CBSNews.com contributed to the report.