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(Cnn in Spanish) – Wisconsin hospital worker charged with intentionally removing 57 vials of a COVID-19 vaccine from a refrigerator over the past week, officials said Wednesday. The action forced the hospital to dispose of those vials and prompted an investigation by police and the FBI, authorities added.
The removal of the vials from refrigeration at Aurora Medical Center, north of Milwaukee, and the subsequent need to dispose of them on Saturday, means more than 500 doses were missed, Advocate Aurora Health stated.
“This was a violation of our core values. And the individual is no longer our employee, “said a press release from the hospital system this Wednesday.
The destruction of the doses was widely reported earlier this week. Precisely, when the hospital system said it believed that Moderna’s vaccine vials against COVID-19 “They were inadvertently removed from the pharmacy refrigerator” at the hospital.
Read also: More than 11 thousand new doses: The second shipment of Pfizer vaccines arrived
But, this Wednesday, the worker “Acknowledged that he intentionally removed the vaccine from the refrigerator”, it reads in the subsequent system declaration.
“We have notified the appropriate authorities for further investigation … We are more than disappointed that this person’s actions result in more than 500 people having a delay in receiving their vaccine,” the statement read.
Investigate incident with the vaccine in the hospital
Grafton police reported that the hospital system contacted them Wednesday night. The report was about “an employee who handled the vials of the vaccine against COVID-19 ″.
“This matter is actively being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Food and Drug Administration and the Grafton Police Department,” city police said.
Neither the police nor the health system have publicly discussed a motive. The health system said it would hold a press conference on the matter on Thursday.
CNN has requested comment from the FBI.
Moderna says its vaccine should generally be stored at temperatures lower than what a refrigerator can provide. But it can also last 30 days in normal refrigeration. Allowing hospitals and pharmacies flexibility for storage and distribution of the vaccine.
Read also: The United Kingdom is the first country to approve the vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford
The hospital system has not said how long it has been since the vials were removed from the refrigerator and when they were discovered.
The vaccine can last up to 12 hours outside of a refrigerator, according to Moderna. An unspecified number of the removed vials were used to vaccinate some staff members within the 12-hour window, the hospital said.
“Unfortunately, most of it had to be discarded”indicated the initial statement from the hospital.
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