Prosecutors say a Wisconsin pharmacist tried to destroy more than 500 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine because of false beliefs that the vaccine is not safe.
Steven Brandenburg was arrested on Thursday and fired from a suburban Milwaukee hospital after allegedly removing 57 vials of Modern vaccine from a pharmacy refrigerator. The vials contained more than 500 doses of the vaccine.
On Monday, the 47-year-old pharmacist appeared in a virtual hearing, where Ozaukee County District Attorney Adam Gerol said he had intentionally tried to destroy the vaccines.
“He formed the belief that they were not safe,” Gerol said in court, according to the Associated Press.
According to a probable cause statement submitted by the Grafton Police Department, detectives referred to Brandenburg as an “admitted conspiracy theorist” who believed that the vaccine could alter people’s DNA – which it cannot.
In fact, COVID-19 vaccines, including Moderna, have been tested for safety and authorized by the Food and Drug Administration after a series of clinical tests.
The Modern vaccine uses mRNA from genetic material, but does not alter people’s DNA. Side effects for most people are mild to moderate, including chills, fatigue and headache.
The vaccine is also 94% effective against the virus.
Gerol in court would have added that the pharmacist was upset because he was getting divorced and would have taken a gun to work on two occasions.
Grafton police said the former Advocate Aurora Health Hospital employee admitted in a written statement that he removed the vaccine from the refrigerator overnight on December 24, and again overnight on December 25.
The uncooled bottles were discovered by a pharmacy technician the next day.
Grafton detectives said in a statement that Brandenburg knew that the damaged bottles would be useless and that the people who received the doses would think they were successfully vaccinated.
The vials of Moderna vaccine are shipped refrigerated at a temperature of -4 degrees Fahrenheit and can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 30 days. They are able to stay at room temperature for about half a day.
Vaccines are estimated to have been worth between $ 8,000 and $ 10,000.
On Monday, Brandenburg was released from Ozaukee County prison after being ordered not to contact his former co-workers and to hand over all of his firearms.
Since his arrest, he has been held on $ 10,000 bail on suspicion of criminal property damage and reckless security risk.
In court, Gerol said the adulterated vials would be tested by Moderna to see if the doses were indeed ineffective now, and prosecutors would then decide whether to pursue further charges.