Texas doctor accused of stealing COVID-19 vaccine to give to his family and friends
A Houston area health department doctor is accused by prosecutors of stealing nine doses of coronavirus vaccine from a damaged vial and administering them to family and friends. But Hasan Gokal insists he did nothing wrong and was only trying to ensure the vaccine was not wasted, his attorney said Thursday.
Authorities allege that Gokal, who worked for Harris County Public Health, stole a vial of the Moderna coronavirus vaccine while working at a vaccination site at a suburban Houston park on Dec. 29. Gokal told a health department employee earlier this month that "he had taken a punctured vial of the Moderna vaccine ... at the end of operations and that he took the vial offsite and vaccinated his friends and family," according to a probable cause complaint.
Prosecutors determined Gokal, 48, had given the vaccine to nine individuals, including his wife, according to the complaint. "He abused his position to place his friends and family in line in front of people who had gone through the lawful process to be there," said Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg. "What he did was illegal and he'll be held accountable under the law."
Gokal was fired after an internal investigation by the health department.
Authorities said Gokal disregarded rules related to punctured vaccine vials with viable doses that direct employees to ensure that such doses are brought back to the main office so they can be administered to at-risk front-line workers, including health care employees and police officers, and to vulnerable populations.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/texas-doctor-hasan-gokal-accused-stealing-covid-doses/
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