A doctor fired in Texas is being charged with theft after officials say he took a bottle of the COVID-19 vaccine that contained nine doses in December. In a press release published on Thursday, authorities claim that Hasan Gokal took the doses to give to family and friends.
Gokal was working at the Harris County vaccination site in Lyndsay Lyons Park at the time. He was fired after telling another Harris County Public Health official about his alleged actions, and the officer then reported him to supervisors, according to Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg.
“He abused his position of power to put his friends and family in line in front of people who went through the legal process to be there,” said Ogg, in the press release. “What he did was illegal and he will be held accountable to the law.”
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Gokal’s lawyer defended the man’s actions and in a statement to KHOU 11 said the doctor “ensured that doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, which would otherwise expire, would go into the arms of people who met the criteria for receiving over there”.
His lawyer says the county preferred that vaccines go to waste. If convicted, he faces up to a year in prison and a $ 4,000 fine.
Gokal is accused of stealing a bottle of vaccine he allegedly gave to family and friends.
((AP Photo / Charlie Riedel))
Harris County remains under “Level 1: Stay Safe at Work at Home”, which officials say means “outbreaks are present and getting worse”. At this time, residents are alerted that the test and contact tracking capacity “is overloaded or exceeded”.
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Harris County, excluding the city of Houston, saw almost 149,000 cases of COVID-19 and more than 1,140 deaths. Including Houston, the number of illnesses jumps to more than 293,000 and more than 2,812 deaths. The county is currently administering a limited supply of the Moderna vaccine only to healthcare professionals and people over 65 or those with underlying health problems who qualify for eligibility.