A Grafton, Wisconsin, hospital worker admitted to purposefully leaving more than 500 COVID-19 vaccines outside of the appropriate container overnight, according to a press release.
Advocate Aurora Health, the company that runs Aurora Medical Center, said in a press release that it initially believed that the vaccines were left outside a refrigerator due to human error. However, the responsible hospital employee later “acknowledged that they intentionally removed the vaccine from refrigeration.”
The FBI and FDA are investigating the destruction, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Aurora Medical Center was able to offer a few of the vaccines to its employees, but most had to be discarded. (RELATED: Local Walgreens Hands Out Near-Expiration Vaccine Doses To Random Citizens)
A recent KFF poll suggested that more than a quarter of Americans remain hesitant to get a vaccine. Advocate Aurora Health continued to emphasize the safety and effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines on Twitter.
Did you know the Pfizer and Moderna #COVID19Vaccines are both considered highly effective? Visit our resource center for more information: https://t.co/Q9y505caAD pic.twitter.com/bMsyxFqUEE
— Advocate Aurora Health (@AdvocateAurora) December 31, 2020
The Aurora Medical vaccines were produced by the biotech company Moderna. The Moderna COVID-19 vaccine must be kept at negative four degrees Fahrenheit until it is administered. Once the vaccine acclimates to room temperature, it must be administered to a patient within twelve hours.
The Moderna vaccines have less stringent refrigeration requirements than those produced by Pfizer. The Pfizer vaccines must be refrigerated at -94 degrees Fahrenheit.