Authorities arrested a suburban pharmacist in Milwaukee on Thursday on suspicion of deliberately destroying hundreds of doses of coronavirus vaccine by removing it from the refrigerator for two nights.
Grafton Police said former pharmacist Aurora Health’s lawyer was arrested on suspicion of reckless danger, adulterating a prescription drug and damaging property.
The department said in a press release that it is in prison. Police have not identified the pharmacist, saying he has not yet been officially charged.
Attorney Aurora, chief medical officer Jeff Bahr, told reporters during a teleconference Thursday afternoon that the pharmacist deliberately removed 57 ampoules of the Moderna vaccine from the refrigerator overnight on Dec. 24 to Dec. 25. he returned, then left them again on the night of December 25 until Saturday.
A pharmacy technician found the bottles outside the refrigerator on Saturday morning. The workers used the vaccine to inoculate 57 people. Bahr said their doses are ineffective. Recipients should not be in any danger, he said, but the system monitors their conditions.
“This was a situation involving a bad actor, as opposed to a bad lawsuit,” he said.
The Grafton unit had not received any Moderna vaccine before Dec. 24, which means the pharmacist would not have had the opportunity to handle other vials, he added.
“We continue to believe that vaccination is our way out of the pandemic. We are more than disappointed that the actions of this individual will lead to a delay of over 500 people receiving the vaccine, “the health system said in a statement.
The number of COVID-19 cases in Wisconsin has risen in recent days after sinking in early December. The State Department of Health Services reported 3,810 newly confirmed cases on Thursday, marking the third consecutive day of increasing daily infections. The state has now seen 481,102 cases.
COVID-19 was a factor in another 41 deaths, bringing the state’s total death toll to 4,859. The survival rate remained unchanged at 99%.