Lawyer Aurora Health fired a pharmacist who allegedly tampered with 57 vials of the Moderna coronavirus vaccine by deliberately removing it from the refrigerator. And the Village of Grafton police station announced Thursday that officers have arrested the former employee.
The intervention resulted in 57 people receiving ineffective or less effective doses of the vaccine and more than 500 doses being discarded, reports Alison Dirr for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
In a statement Thursday, Grafton police said the former pharmacist – a Grafton resident – admitted to intentionally removing the vials, knowing it would render the vaccine unusable. The department withheld its name ‘pending its earlier notification of charges’. Recommended charges include three different offenses.
The episode sparked nationwide outrage as the country struggles to quickly disperse the vaccines needed to end the pandemic.
“It’s just a monstrous thing to do,” said Sen. Chris Larson, D-Milwaukee, tweeted Wednesday night. “We have a lot to worry about with this pandemic, but I never thought we would have a vaccine saboteur.”
Programming Note: Wisconsin COVID-19 update takes off Friday. We’re coming back Monday afternoon in the new year.
Top stories
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases via Flickr
This transmission electron micrograph shows SARS-CoV-2 virus particles isolated from a patient suffering from COVID-19. The image was captured and color enhanced at the NIAID Integrated Research Facility in Fort Detrick, Maryland.
Pharmacist from Aurora deliberately took COVID-19 vaccines out of the refrigerator twice; 57 people received less effective doses, 500 doses were destroyed – Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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‘Use it or lose it’: some Janesville police officers receive COVID-19 vaccinations – Janesville Gazette
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The state faces challenges to renew extended unemployment benefits under new coronavirus plan – Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
The New Yorker
More than 950,000 people activated the COVID-19 exposure program – WSAW-TV
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Quotable
“We are healthcare. … Just because we do not work in a hospital, not in a clinic, we are part of the healthcare system. ”
Greenfield Fire Chief Jon Cohn talks to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel about why he believes the state should prioritize vaccinations for EMS employees.
Information to note
WisContext presents these visualizations of Wisconsin COVID-19 statistics. Newly documented COVID-19 infections and test-positive rates are well below their peak before Thanksgiving. The state also sees fewer COVID-19 patients admitted to the hospital since mid-November, which now hangs at the mid-October level.
Calculate your exposure risk
In Wisconsin, even small gatherings can pose a high risk of coronavirus exposure, according to a nationwide tool that estimates the danger by the size of the gathering and the province in which it is held. Computer scientists from the Georgia Institute of Technology and Stanford University have developed the tool you can find here.
Resilient Wisconsin
People who help others and show resilience during this time of anxiety. Send suggestions by tagging us on social media – @wisconsinwatch – or by email: [email protected].
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