Police have arrested a pharmacist accused of intentionally tampering with COVID-19 vaccines rendering more than 500 doses useless.
The unnamed pharmacist from Aurora Medical Center in Grafton, Wisconsin, was arrested on Thursday on recommended charges of first-degree recklessly endangering safety, adulterating a prescription drug, and criminal damage to property, according to the Washington Post. The accused is currently being held in county jail, according to the police department.
The individual removed 57 vials of the Moderna vaccine out of the pharmacy refrigerator, leaving them to spoil. An investigation by the company initially led them to believe the incident was “inadvertent human error,” but the pharmacist later “acknowledged that they intentionally removed the vaccine from refrigeration.”
“We continue to believe that vaccination is our way out of the pandemic,” the statement from the medical center read. “We are more than disappointed that this individual’s actions will result in a delay of more than 500 people receiving their vaccine.”
Authorities said the pharmacist admitted he removed the vaccine vials “knowing that if not properly stored the vaccine would be ineffective.”
As the investigation unfolded, and the medical center got a better grasp on the situation, they quickly sought to administer some of the vaccines because they are usable until they thaw and cannot be refrozen. Hundreds of doses were discarded, but some were administered, although Aurora health officials raised doubts about the effectiveness of those doses because they were removed from their cooled storage unit twice.
Jeff Bahr, the president of Aurora Health Care Medical Group, called the individual a “bad actor.”
Nearly 20 million Americans were diagnosed with COVID-19 in 2020, resulting in more than 340,000 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University’s coronavirus tracker. Multiple vaccines were approved in December, and millions have been vaccinated.
