Wisconsin police arrested a pharmacist for purposely sabotaging 570 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. That’s not the only problem administering the vaccine. The West Virginia National Guard admitted it injected 42 people with the wrong substance entirely at Boone County Clinic.
The West Virginia mix-up was unintentional. Folks who went to a vaccination clinic at the Boone County Health Department received doses of Regeneron antibody product instead of the vaccine. The antibody product is a treatment for people already sick with COVID. Experts said the mix-up doesn’t pose a threat to anyone’s health. No one offered an explanation as to how it occurred. West Virginia National Guard Adjutant General, Major James Hoyer, said, “The moment that we were notified of what happened, we acted right away to correct it. And we immediately reviewed and strengthened our protocols to enhance our distribution process to prevent this from happening again.”
The West Virginia National Guard continued vaccination efforts at the Clarksburg Veterans Nursing Facility yesterday.
570 Vaccine Doses Ruined
Police in Wisconsin said a pharmacist employed at a Grafton, Wisconsin Hospital intentionally ruined 570 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. Officials said officers were called to Advocate Aurora Health Hospital in Grafton on Wednesday for a report that a pharmacy employee intentionally removed the vaccines from refrigerated storage and allowed them sit out overnight. This vaccine requires refrigeration.
Hospital officials initially believed the December 26 incident was an accident. They later received information that caused them to take a closer look at the incident. The pharmacist provided a written statement and admitted to removing the vaccines from cold storage on purpose so it would become ineffective.
The hospital had administered 57 doses of the vaccine to patients. Although the vaccine was useless, it is not harmful to patients. Police arrested the pharmacist on these charges:
- First Degree Recklessly Endangering Safety (Class F felony)
- Adulterating a Prescription Drug (Class H felony)
- Criminal Damage to Property (Class I felony)
The pharmacist is incarcerated in the Ozaukee County jail. Police had no information on a possible motive.
