Investigators say the man removed the vaccine “knowing it would not be useful,” a police statement said Thursday.
According to police, the hospital pharmacist allegedly gave a written statement to public safety officials at Aurora Medical Center in Grafton saying he had intentionally removed the vials, knowing the doses would be ineffective if not stored properly. .
In the early morning hours of Saturday, December 26, 57 bottles were found in the pharmacy and put back in the fridge, said dr. Jeff Bahr, president of Aurora Health Care Medical Group, told reporters.
“Based on the available information, (we) determined that the vaccine could still be administered on the morning of December 26, given the 12-hour viability period after removal of the refrigeration,” Bahr said.
But in the course of an internal investigation, the former employee said the vaccines would also be removed for a period during the overnight stay of December 24 and 25.
According to Bahr, 57 vaccinations given on Saturday are less effective or ineffective, based on the new information provided by the pharmacist.
The pharmacist, an unidentified Grafton resident, could face charges of reckless endangerment, expiration of prescription drugs and criminal property damage.
According to the news release, all three charges are crimes.
Police officers said the former employee is being held at Ozaukee County Jail.
Hospital officials said Wednesday the person is no longer employed there.
The Aurora Health advisory said the vials were being removed from the refrigeration at the medical center just north of Milwaukee, and the subsequent need to dispose of many of them Saturday means more than 500 doses have been lost.
Hospital officials are working with Moderna and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to determine a strategy for those who received the 57 doses.
The destruction of the other doses was widely reported earlier this week when the hospital system believed that bottles of the Moderna Covid-19 vaccine ‘had not been replaced in the fridge, after being temporarily removed to gain access to other items’ in the hospital. .
“We are more than disappointed that the actions of this individual lead to a delay of more than 500 people receiving their vaccination,” the statement said.
“This case is being actively investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Food and Drug Administration and the Grafton Police Department,” Grafton police said.
Neither the police nor the health care system discussed a motive in public.
CNN released the FBI Milwaukee, but did not hear it.
The hospital system did not say how much time elapsed when the vials were removed from the refrigerator until it was discovered.
CNN’s Dave Alsup and Andrea Diaz contributed to this report.