Wisconsin Without Modern Vaccine: Police Arrest Former Pharmacist

Wisconsin Without Modern Vaccine: Police Arrest Former Pharmacist

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Investigators believe the man removed the vaccine “knowing that it would not be usable,” says a police press release.

According to the police, the hospital pharmacist allegedly provided the public safety officials at Aurora Medical Center in Grafton with a written statement saying he intentionally removed the vials, knowing that if they were not stored properly, the doses would be ineffective.

The man, a Grafton resident who has not been identified, can be accused of recklessly putting security at risk, tampering with a prescription drug and criminal property damage.

All three charges are crimes, according to the statement.

Law enforcement officials said the former employee is being held at Ozaukee County Jail.

The removal of the refrigeration vials at the medical center north of Milwaukee, and the subsequent need to dispose of them on Saturday, means that more than 500 doses have been missed, said lawyer Aurora Health.

The bottles were dropped on Saturday at Aurora Medical Center, north of Milwaukee.

“This was a violation of our fundamental values, and the individual is no longer employed by us,” says a press release on Wednesday from the hospital system.

The destruction of the doses was widely reported earlier this week, when the hospital’s system said it believed the vials of the Modern Covid-19 vaccine “were not put back in the refrigerator after being temporarily removed to access other items” at the hospital.

“We are more than disappointed that the actions of this individual will result in the delay of more than 500 people in receiving the vaccine,” says the statement.

Grafton police said the hospital system contacted them on Wednesday night about “an employee tampering with vials of the Covid-19 vaccine”.

“This matter is being actively investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Food and Drug Administration and the Grafton Police Department,” said the Grafton police.

Neither the police nor the health care system has publicly discussed a reason.

CNN asked for comments from the FBI.

Moderna says its vaccine should generally be stored at temperatures below those that a refrigerator can supply. But it can also last for 30 days in normal refrigeration, allowing flexibility to hospitals and pharmacies for storage and distribution.

The hospital system did not say how long it had been since the bottles were removed from the refrigerator until they were discovered.

The vaccine can last up to 12 hours outside the refrigerator, according to Moderna. An unspecified number of bottles removed was used to vaccinate some team members within the 12-hour window, the hospital said.

“Unfortunately, most of it had to be discarded,” said the hospital’s initial statement.

Dave Alsup and Andrea Diaz of CNN contributed to this report.

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