The Grafton, Wisconsin pharmacist who admitted to deliberately removing 57 vials of Moderna’s coronavirus vaccine from cold storage – and was fired over it – has now been arrested on three felony charges, police have announced.
The now-former employee of the Aurora Health hospital in Grafton was arrested on Thursday on “recommended charges” of first degree of recklessly endangering safety, adulterating a prescription drug, and criminal damage to property, all felonies. He is currently being held in the Ozaukee County jail, but his name has not been released to the public yet.
BREAKING: An arrest has been made in connection with the alleged tampering of COVID-19 vaccines in Grafton. More from the Grafton Police Department: pic.twitter.com/undwgPD49c
Aurora Health, which runs the hospital where the incident occurred, revealed earlier in the day that the pharmacist in question has been terminated from employment. Initial investigation suggested he “inadvertently” left the vials – each containing 10 doses of the vaccine – out of the refrigerators needed to maintain their integrity overnight. The vials spoiled and had to be “discarded.”
The pharmacist subsequently admitted in writing that he did so deliberately, Aurora Health said, prompting the company to fire him and alert the authorities, including the FBI. His motives have not been revealed.
Both vaccines currently approved for use against the coronavirus in the US need to be kept in cold storage before being administered. The Moderna jabs arrive frozen at between -25°C and -15°C (-13°F and 5°F) and must be stored in refrigerators between 2°C and 8°C (36°F and 46°F), according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The Moderna vaccine was approved for emergency use on December 18, a week after the Pfizer jab received emergency authorization from US health authorities as well. Both vaccines were developed and approved in under a year, a process that normally takes much longer but was expedited by the Trump administration’s program dubbed ‘Operation Warp Speed.’
Even as demand for the vaccines has outstripped supply in some parts of the US, politicized claims about their safety used during and after the November election campaign have created an additional problem for the health authorities.
Another wrinkle in their distribution has been created by ideological proposals to make it “equitable” and prioritize groups “disproportionately impacted” by the pandemic, rather than frontline healthcare workers and seniors in nursing homes, judged to be at the highest risk from the virus.
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