A Texas doctor was charged Thursday with theft of a vial of the Covid-19 vaccine.
Dr. Hasan Gokal is facing a charge of theft by a government official after authorities said he stole a nine-dose vial, Harris County District Attorney said in a statement. The alleged incident occurred on Dec. 29 when he was working at a vaccination center in Humble, about 20 miles north of Houston.
According to the office, Gokal was fired after an employee he trusted reported him to supervisors.
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Prosecutors said Gokal “disregarded provincial protocols to ensure that vaccine is not wasted but administered to vulnerable populations and frontline workers on a waiting list.”
“He abused his position to put his friends and family in line before people who went through the legal process of being there,” District Attorney Kim Ogg said in a statement Thursday. “What he did was illegal and he will be held accountable by law.”
In a statement to NBC News, Gokal’s lawyer, Paul Doyle, said his client was a “dedicated civil servant who oversaw the expiration of doses of Covid-19 vaccines that would otherwise fall into the hands of people who meet the criteria to receive it.
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“Harris County would prefer that Dr. Gokal dispose of the vaccines and try to diminish this man’s reputation for supporting this policy,” he said.
Doyle told a news conference on Friday that the Moderna Covid-19 vaccine came in a vial containing 11 to 12 doses. When a vial is opened, medical staff have six hours to administer the vaccine.
Doyle said Gokal left 10 remaining Covid-19 vaccines behind after opening a new vial for a patient who arrived on December 29 at about 6:30 p.m.
“Dr. Gokal is now facing the issue of what to do with this,” he said. “He started looking for individuals to vaccinate who would be eligible. He first looked at the staff who were still there. , most of whom have already received the vaccine, and then the law enforcement members. ”
Doyle said Gokal went on to issue acquaintances who knew people eligible for the vaccine, including an elderly group, a ’93-year-old woman who was ‘bound’ and an 86-year-old woman with dementia. . ‘
At least one of the doses was administered to Gokal’s wife an hour before it would expire, Doyle said. According to the lawyer, his wife qualified for the vaccine. No other family members or friends received the vaccine.
Doyle added that there were few internal guidelines on what to do with the remaining doses. He said the Harris County District Attorney relied solely on the Harris County Department of Public Health account without questioning his client.
The Harris County District Attorney’s Office did not immediately return a request for comment.
A Harris County Department of Public Health spokesman said the agency “acted immediately on the improper handling of vaccines, to include alert authorities.”
The department declined to comment further on the ongoing investigation.
Doyle said Gokal intends to plead not guilty. It is not clear when he will have to appear in court.
