Pharmacist arrested after deliberately ruining COVID-19 vaccines

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

• Wisconsin pharmacists Steven Brandenburg was charged for purposefully decaying over 57 vials of Moderna COVID-19 vaccines.
• Brandenburg believed that the vaccines were “unsafe” and could change anybody’s DNA.
• He was charged with destruction of property and was set with a $10,000 bond.

According to The Associated Press, authorities revealed on Monday that a pharmacist from Wisconsin was accused of intentionally spoiling the COVID-19 vaccines placed at the medical facility where he was working. Steven Brandenburg, the charged pharmacist, thought that the vaccines were “unsafe” and could modify a being’s DNA.

Last week, Brandenburg, who was working at Advocate Aurora Health, a healthcare company, was arrested last week after medical officials said that he took out 57 vials of refrigerated vaccines developed by Moderna on December 24 and 25. The vaccine comprises about 500 doses.

A pharmacy technician found out that the vials were taken out from the cold storage on December 26.

Initially, the hospital said that the vials were “inadvertently” withdrawn because of “human error.” After two days, officials clarified that the pharmacist had purposefully removed the vials and he was no longer working for the facility.

In a December 28 statement, the hospital said that “some of the vaccines were administered to team members on December 26 within the approved 12-hour post-refrigeration window.” The rest of the doses, however, were wasted.

Later, the AP reported that Advocate Aurora Health Care Chief Medical Group Officer Jeff Bahr admitted that the doses administered to people on December 26 were not already effective enough to protect the patients from the virus.

In a virtual hearing on Monday, Ozaukee County District Attorney Adam Gerol said that Moderna should evaluate the doses and confirm whether they already passed their efficacy before authorities seek additional challenges. Currently, Brandenburg was charged with destruction of property.

The Hill has already requested the Ozaukee County District Attorney’s Office for a comment.

A bond amounting to $10,000 was set by Judge Paul Malloy for Brandenburg’s case. The pharmacist was directed to surrender all his firearms, refrain from working in the healthcare sector, and from reaching out to the medical facility’s employees. 

Source: The Hill