Yesterday, Allahpundit dived into the story of the Wisconsin hospital worker who was fired for “spoiling” more than 500 doses of vaccine by removing it from the refrigerator and leaving it on a counter all night. I will admit that I was a little through the report. I mean, it must have been an accident, right? What kind of person would do this on purpose? But as it turns out, further investigation revealed that the hitherto unnamed worker admitted that he had done so on purpose. He has now been arrested and is facing a number of charges. (WaPo)
A pharmacist accused of deliberately spoiling more than 500 doses of coronavirus vaccine in a hospital outside Milwaukee was arrested Thursday afternoon, local authorities said.
Police in Grafton, Wis., Have arrested the unnamed man on recommended first-class charges the reckless danger of safety, the counterfeit prescription drugs and criminal property damage. According to a statement from the police department, he is being held in the country jail.
The alleged episode at Aurora Medical Center in Grafton, Wis., Has sparked outrage across the country as limited stock shots for high-risk individuals are rationed. The estimated value of the doses, which authorities say amounts to as much as $ 11,000, pales in comparison to the protection they could potentially provide to health workers on the front lines of the intensified pandemic.
This story is even stranger than it first appeared. “According to police, the man admitted in writing that he had committed the act, and further noted that he was well aware that if the bottles are stored improperly”the vaccine would be ineffective. “My first thought was to wonder why he conceded when he could simply say that he had made a mistake. I suppose it is possible that he told someone else about his actions and that they reported him to the police or a supervisor.
To make matters worse, he did not do it just once. He did it twice. He reportedly left the bottles out on Christmas Eve, returned them to their cooler in the morning and did the same the next evening. The hospital thought on Saturday that they had only been left out for one night and were still fine, and used the bottles to vaccinate a dozen people. But now it seems that the people may not receive the full degree of expected immunity if they see any benefit at all. Presumably the dozens of people will have to come back for another round of treatment.
What could motivate this man? It just does not sound like some kind of prank that would draw even a very nasty person because there is no real payoff to it. Did he think, ‘ha ha, you thought you were vaccinated but you are still vulnerable? ‘For a group of strangers? I assume there are people out there who are simply evil jerks who will cause chaos and damage just to do so, but even if that is the case here, it is a very bizarre way to cause trouble.
They apparently do not consider accusing the man of attempted murder, but they are going to try to pose a reckless threat. There are also a few more complaints for pedestrians related to property damage and counterfeit medicine. I think it’s fair, and I would not be surprised if a court decides to throw the book at him just to give an example.
Although this one was apparently not intentional, 42 people in West Virginia were accidentally given antibody treatments when they thought they were getting the vaccine. (The cup)
West Virginia officials inadvertently gave 42 people a treatment with COVID-19 antibodies instead of Moderna’s vaccine.
The West Virginia National Guard said in a statement that it learned ‘of a mistake’ on Wednesday that led to individuals receiving Regeneron’s COVID-19 antibody treatment instead of the vaccine.
The state health department says they do not believe the recipients are endangering the antibody treatment. All the people who received it will be called back and the actual vaccination will be offered.
The peculiar part of this snafu is that the antibody treatment is given via an IV line, not with a quick injection with a syringe. Wouldn’t the people who showed up after a vaccination notice that it was something else? Maybe not, I suppose, especially if they are not working in the healthcare field. But what about the workers at the clinic? If they knew they had to administer vaccines and they were suddenly told to connect patients to an IV line, would they not ask questions?
I think we can not come down too hard on the clinic. It is one of the largest deployments of a brand new vaccine the country has ever seen. There would probably be some screws on the road. Let’s just hope none of them are literally fatal mistakes.