Pharmacist in Wisconsin his license was suspended on Wednesday after he was accused of intentionally damaging coronavirus vaccines.
The Wisconsin Pharmacy Examining Board suspended Steven Brandenburg License due to accusations that he spoiled 500 doses of the vaccine because he thought it was unsafe and would alter a person’s DNA, The Associated Press reported. Brandenburg cannot practice while his license is suspended.
The former pharmacist at Advocate Aurora Health claimed when he was arrested that it was an accidental mistake and that he did not intend to ruin the vaccine bottles. Police said he later admitted to remove the bottles on purpose.
Brandenburg removed the 57 bottles from the refrigerator on December 24th and 25th. The bottles were not discovered until December 26. “[S]part of the vaccine was administered to staff members on December 26 within the approved 12-hour post-cooling window, “but the rest had to be discarded, the hospital said in a statement on December 28.
Brandenburg has not yet been charged, but a conference on the status of the case will take place on Tuesday. Brandenburg agreed to have his license suspended “in order to focus ”on the charges that could be brought against him.
The pharmacist allegedly tampered with the vaccine because he believed in conspiracy theories that said the coronavirus vaccine was designed to alter a person’s DNA. The doses he destroyed cost between $ 8,000 and $ 11,000, officials say.
Public health officials have been fighting misinformation and other similar false claims about the vaccine for months, although officials have also sought to reduce skepticism among those who are eligible to receive the vaccination, but have chosen not to, citing concerns about its rapid development.
Millions of doses have been administered in the United States since last month, but the launch was delayed, with federal officials hoping to increase the rate of vaccinations in the coming weeks.