A suburban Milwaukee pharmacist who allegedly spoiled hundreds of doses of COVID-19 by removing them from the refrigerator was arrested, officials said on Thursday.
The actions of the now-dismissed employee resulted in 57 people receiving ineffective doses of the vaccine at Advocate Aurora Health Hospital in Grafton, hospital officials said. The suspect was arrested on suspicion of reckless danger, tampering with a prescription drug and criminal damage to property, all crimes, the Grafton Police Department said.
The authorities have not determined a reason. The pharmacist was not identified.
Boxes containing the Modern COVID-19 vaccine are prepared to be shipped to the McKesson distribution center in Olive Branch, Mississippi. A Wisconsin hospital employee intentionally removed 57 vials of Modern vaccine from a refrigerator, resulting in 500 doses being discarded, officials said Wednesday. (AP Photo / Paul Sancya, Pool)
Hospital officials said the unidentified pharmacist intentionally removed the 57 vials containing 500 doses of the Modern vaccine from refrigeration overnight on December 24 and left them out for two nights. The doses were returned and removed again.
As a result, hundreds of doses were dropped. Moderna said there are no health risks associated with spoiled doses, clinical leaders during a virtual news conference on Thursday.
A pharmacy technician discovered the bottles outside a refrigerator on Saturday and reported the incident, said Dr. Jeff Bahr, president of Aurora Health Care Medical Group.
Hospital officials initially determined that the incident was the result of human error, saying the employee removed the vaccines to get something else from the refrigerator. But the official eventually admitted that he removed the bottles from cold storage, knowing they would be ineffective if used.
The Modern vaccine can be stored at room temperature for up to 12 hours before it is no longer viable. Doctors administered a few doses within that allowed window.
“We continued to vaccinate until the rest of the vaccine was discarded because it became ineffective,” said Bahr.
The value of the damaged doses ranged from $ 8,000 to $ 11,000, said Grafton police.
Andrea Palm, a representative for the Wisconsin Department of Health Services, said she was disappointed by the waste of COVID-19 vaccines.
“As we’ve seen in the past few weeks, our healthcare professionals are eager to protect themselves against COVID-19 contraction through vaccination,” she said. “Immediately after the notification, DHS accompanied Aurora and worked closely with them while investigating the situation, reviewing their processes and implementing improvements.”
State Senator Alberta Darling, who represents Grafton, called the incident “disheartening”.
“These doses are for frontline workers,” she tweeted. “This senseless act puts them in danger.”
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APPLICATION
Bahr said the incident was the result of “a bad actor, as opposed to a bad lawsuit”. The incident was being investigated by the Grafton police, the I and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the FBI.