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Getty / EVA MARIE UZCATEGUI / AFP
A hospital worker in Wisconsin, United States, who is said to have intentionally destroyed hundreds of doses of the Covid-19 vaccine has been arrested.
A hospital worker in Wisconsin, United States, who is said to have intentionally destroyed hundreds of doses of the Covid-19 vaccine was arrested this week.
In a statement shared on New Year’s Eve, the Grafton Police Department announced that the Advocate Aurora Health Hospital employee, who had already been fired, was arrested for tampering with and causing the destruction of 57 vials.
Those vials, per police, contained approximately 570 doses.
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“Grafton Police were called to the Advocate Aurora Health Hospital in Grafton on Wednesday, December 30, 2020, in a report that a former pharmacy employee had intentionally removed vaccines from refrigerated storage and left them outside overnight, giving approximately 570 ‘useless’ doses of the vaccine according to health professionals, “said a police spokesman.
When news of the dose destruction was first made public in late December, the act was believed to be accidental.
However, upon further investigation, it was determined that it was intentional.
Later, the former hospital worker admitted to having intentionally withdrawn the vaccine “knowing that if the vaccine is not stored properly it would be ineffective.”
Potential charges include first degree reckless endangering of safety, tampering with a prescription drug, and criminal damage to property. His identity has not been released by the police.
The news of the arrest of the unidentified person comes after a report by the Los Angeles Times indicating that some healthcare workers have refused to receive the vaccine despite early access.
