A now ex-employee at a Wisconsin medical center forced 500 doses of a COVID-19 vaccine to be thrown away after intentionally removing dozens of bottles from the refrigerator.
The Aurora Medical Center in Grafton, WI, initially thought that 57 vials of the recently approved Modern vaccine, which should be kept between 36 and 46 degrees Fahrenheit, were accidentally left without refrigeration on December 26.
However, Aurora officials then announced on Wednesday that the responsible person had “intentionally” removed those bottles from the refrigeration, which resulted in the discard of about 500 individual doses.
“We are more than disappointed that this individual’s actions will result in more than 500 people being delayed in receiving their vaccine,” said the hospital system in the announcement, adding that the unidentified individual “is no longer employed by us.”
According to a Washington Post report, citing the Grafton police, the FBI and the Food and Drug Administration are investigating the incident.
On Wednesday, the state reported more than 477,000 COVID-19 cases. According to state data updated on Tuesday, just over 47,000 vaccines have been administered in Wisconsin so far.
The Trump administration’s vaccine distribution efforts as part of Operation Warp Speed have recently been criticized by President-elect Joe Biden (and other Americans) for being slower than necessary.
“As I have long feared and warned, the effort to distribute and administer the vaccine is not progressing as it should,” said Biden, while promising to speed up the process once he takes office.