An American pharmacist who allegedly destroyed hundreds of coronavirus vaccine doses last month was an \u201cadmitted conspiracy theorist\u201d and believed in an infamous rumour about their safety as per reported by sources.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Steven Brandenburg removed 57 vials of the Moderna Covid-19 vaccine, each containing around 10 doses, from refrigerators at the Aurora Medical Centre in Grafton, Wisconsin, in an attempt to destroy them because he believed \u2014 wrongly \u2014 that they were dangerous and could alter human DNA.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Moreover, the Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines are based on mRNA technology that delivers genetic information to the human body to help produce antibodies against the coronavirus. Experts say there is no evidence at all to suggest they alter human DNA, and millions have been inoculated using these vaccines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
They require very low temperatures for storage and can be damaged or destroyed otherwise, which is what Brandenburg tried to do on two occasions, the prosecution said Monday during his first court appearance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHis intent\u2026 was to render them inert because he\u2019d formed this belief that they were unsafe, that the RNA method of creating these medications rendered them unsafe,\u201d Ozaukee County district attorney Adam Gerol said during the hearing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Brandenburg had initially told hospital authorities that the vaccines were left unrefrigerated by accident, but later admitted that he removed them on purpose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The 46-year-old also admitted on one occasion to putting the unrefrigerated vaccines back inside, which were later injected into 57 people, the hospital\u2019s operator said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In addition to this, the people were notified and there is no evidence that the inert vaccines harmed them, according to the hospital\u2019s operator.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He was fired and the hospital informed the authorities, including the FBI. He was arrested on Thursday last week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBrandenburg, an admitted conspiracy theorist, told investigators that he believed that Covid-19 vaccine was not safe for people and could harm them and change their DNA,\u201d according to a probable cause statement from the police, released by local media.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The prosecution said his charges may be downgraded if they find the vaccines can still be used.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He also told authorities he was also under stress because of ongoing divorce proceedings with his wife, who has filed for sole custody of their two children, according to local media.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHe told me that if I didn\u2019t understand by now that\u2026 the world is crashing down around us, I am in serious denial,\u201d she said in an affidavit, according to The New York Times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHe continued to say that the government is planning cyberattacks and plans to shut down the power grid.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Brandenburg was granted bail and directed to surrender his firearms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Baseless conspiracy theories about the pandemic, especially vaccines, have been rampant on social media despite efforts by tech giants to counter them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Furthermore, the authorities and experts have said such misinformation indicates a serious threat to the fight against the virus by promulgating the vaccine reluctance and even outright avoidance.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
An American pharmacist who allegedly destroyed hundreds of coronavirus vaccine doses last month was an \u201cadmitted conspiracy theorist\u201d and believed in an infamous rumour about their safety as per reported by sources. Steven Brandenburg removed 57 vials of the Moderna Covid-19 vaccine, each containing around […]<\/p>\n
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