Pharmacist arrested after intentionally contaminating 500 doses of COVID-19 vaccine



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The hospital administered some of the doses before it realized they were contaminated, hospital officials said. The pharmacist was arrested and charged, the New York Times reports.

It is unclear what the reason behind the gesture could have been. The Grafton Police Department is investigating the incident with the FBI and the Food and Drug Administration.

Attorney Aurora Health posted the chronological sequence of events: First, the doses were said to have been taken accidentally. Then on Wednesday, the pharmacist admitted that he intentionally removed the vials. In a video call with reporters Thursday, Jeff Bahr, president of Aurora Health Care Medical Group, said the pharmacist admitted to removing the vials from the refrigerator on two consecutive nights, Christmas Eve and Christmas, and that the hospital administered 57 of the doses. before realizing how long they had been at room temperature.

Dr. Bahr said there was no evidence that the pharmacist handled the vaccine other than by removing it from the refrigerator. The hospital consulted with Moderna, the pharmaceutical company that produced the vaccines, and was assured that the vaccines would not affect the people who received them. But because the RNA molecules in the vaccine rapidly disintegrate at room temperature, the doses “have become less effective or ineffective,” Dr. Bahr said.

He added that the 57 people who received the vaccine were notified. Wisconsin experienced a devastating wave of coronavirus cases in the fall and has long been the worst hit state in terms of population. At least 5,195 Wisconsin residents have died.

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