US pharmacist jailed for tampering with COVID vaccines

A former US pharmacist who purposefully ruined more than 500 doses of COVID-19 vaccine has been jailed

Wisconsin-based pharmacist Stephen Brandenburg pleaded guilty to trying to spoil hundreds of COVID vaccines because he was ‘skeptical of them.’

He was jailed for three years after he purposefully removed vaccines from a dedicated refrigerator.

He had admitted to intentionally removing the doses manufactured by Moderna from a refrigerator for hours at Aurora Medical Center in Grafton, located just north of Milwaukee.

In a statement before receiving his sentence, Brandenburg said he felt “great shame” and accepted responsibility for his actions. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported he apologised to his co-workers, family and the community.

Reports state that Aurora destroyed most of the tampered doses, but not before 57 people received inoculations from the supply.

Those doses are believed to have still been effective, but weeks of uncertainty created a storm of anger, anxiety, and anguish among the recipients, according to court documents.

Court statements claim that Brandenburg purposefully removed a box of COVID-19 vaccine vials from a hospital refrigeration unit during two successive overnight shifts in December last year.

The pharmacist was also ordered to pay $83,800 in compensation to the Wisconsin Hospital where he worked.