Discarded Coronavirus Vaccine Was 'Intentional': Advocate Aurora

GRAFTON, WI — Five hundred doses of the Moderna coronavirus vaccine were rendered useless at Advocate Aurora Medical Center in an "intentional act," the hospital revealed in a statement Wednesday. The person responsible has been terminated.

The Grafton Police Department confirmed on Wednesday night they received information regarding an employee tampering with vials of the vaccine. Police said the matter is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigations, the Food and Drug Administration and the police department, according to a news release.

Hospital officials initially believed 57 vials of the vaccine, which make up 500 doses, were removed from a pharmacy refrigerator and left out overnight by accident. Staff drew that conclusion after an internal review, according to hospital officials, but later learned otherwise.

"The individual in question today acknowledged that they intentionally removed the vaccine from refrigeration. We have notified appropriate authorities for further investigation. We continue to believe that vaccination is our way out of the pandemic. We are more than disappointed that this individual’s actions will result in a delay of more than 500 people receiving their vaccine. This was a violation of our core values, and the individual is no longer employed by us," hospital officials said in a statement.

While some vaccine was administered to team members on Dec. 26 within the approved 12-hour post-refrigeration window, most of it had to be discarded due to the temperature storage requirements necessary to maintain viability, the hospital said in a previously issued statement.

"After successfully vaccinating about 17,000 team members over the last 12 days, we are clearly disappointed and regret this happened," the previous statement read.

This story is developing.