A state council on Wednesday suspended the license of a Wisconsin pharmacist accused of ruining more than 500 doses of COVID-19 vaccine because he believed in apocalyptic conspiracy theories and believed the drug would mutate people’s DNA.
Steven Brandenburg, 46, was working at Advocate Aurora Health in Grafton, about 20 miles north of Milwaukee, when he was arrested last month after an investigation into the 57 broken vials of the Modern vaccine.
He has not been charged. A case status conference is scheduled for Tuesday.
The Wisconsin Pharmacy Examining Board said in its order that Brandenburg cannot practice pharmacy while the suspension is maintained.
Steven Brandenburg, 46, is accused of damaging 57 vials of the Modern COVID-19 vaccine, which officials said contained enough doses to inoculate more than 500 people
The Modern vaccine (seen in this photo from the January 5, 2020 file at a clinic in Livingston, Montana) is viable for 12 hours outside of refrigeration, so workers used the vaccine to inoculate 57 people before to discard the rest.
He said Brandenburg accepted the action “to focus” on possible charges against him.
Brandenburg lawyer Jason Baltz did not immediately respond to a phone message left Wednesday evening by The Associated Press.
Jeff Bahr, general manager of Aurora Health Care Medical Group, said Brandenburg admitted he deliberately removed the vials from refrigeration at Grafton Medical Center.
A detective wrote in a probable cause statement that Brandenburg, 46, is an admitted conspiracy theorist and told investigators he was intentionally trying to ruin the vaccine because it could hurt people by changing their DNA.
Disinformation about COVID-19 vaccines has increased in line with false claims circulating about vaccine ingredients and possible side effects.
One of the first false claims suggested that vaccines could alter DNA.
The Pfizer and BioNTech vaccine, as well as the Modern vaccine, are based on messenger RNA or mRNA, which is a fairly new technology used in vaccines that experts have been working on for years.
MRNA vaccines help train the immune system to identify the spike protein on the surface of the coronavirus and create an immune response.
Experts have said there is no truth about claims that vaccines can genetically modify humans.
Brandenburg’s eight-year-old wife filed for divorce in June. The couple has two small children.
Brandenburg has been fired from lawyer Aurora Health in Grafton, 20 miles north of Milwaukee, after broken roads were discovered last week.
According to an affidavit his wife filed on Dec. 30, the same day Brandenburg was arrested for handling the vaccine, he stopped at his home on Dec. 6 and left a water purifier and two food supplies for 30 days, telling her the world was “falling” and she was in denial.
He said the government was planning cyberattacks and would shut down the power grid.
He added that he stored food in bulk along with firearms in rental units and that he no longer felt safe around him.
Bahr has said Brandenburg admitted he deliberately removed the vials from refrigeration at Grafton Medical Center on the night of Dec. 24-25, returned them and left them again on the night of Dec. 25.
A pharmacy technician discovered the vials out of the fridge on Dec. 26.
Bahr said Brandenburg initially said he had removed the vials to access other items in the fridge and that he had accidentally not put them back on.
The Modern vaccine is viable for 12 hours outside of refrigeration, so workers used the vaccine to inoculate 57 people before discarding the rest.
Police said the rejected doses were worth between $ 8,000 and $ 11,000.
Bahr said the doses people received on Dec. 26 are virtually useless.
But Ozaukee County District Attorney Adam Gerol said during a court hearing last week that the roads were preserved and that Moderna should test the doses to make sure they were ineffective before filing the charges.
Dr. Jeff Bahr, president of Aurora Health Care Medical Group in Wisconsin, revealed that Brandenburg Brandenburg admitted that he deliberately removed the vials from refrigeration at Grafton Medical Center.
Brandenburg lawyer Jason Baltz did not speak on the merits of the case during the hearing.
Gerol suspended the filing of any charges, saying he still needs to determine whether Brandenburg actually destroyed the doses.
Judge Paul Malloy ordered Brandenburg’s release with a $ 10,000 signature bail, the surrender of his firearms, unsanitary work and contact with Aurora employees.
Last week, a judicial commissioner found that Brandenburg’s children were in imminent danger and temporarily banned them from staying with him.
He was arrested on suspicion of reckless danger, alteration of a prescription drug and criminal damage to property.
Charges are still pending and the FBI and FDA are also investigating.
Those who received the vaccine from the manipulated vials have been warned and the company is working with Moderna and the FDA on a strategy to properly vaccinate these people.
Officials have said there should be no negative effects on receiving vaccines that have become ineffective.
“Modern assured us that there are no safety issues with administering a vaccine that has been out of the fridge too long. We will partner with them and the FDA to find out a strategy on the future vaccination of the 57 affected individuals.” , said Bahr.
Nor is there “any evidence” that Brandenburg handled the vaccine other than taking it out of the fridge, Bahr said.