Dr. Hassan Gokal, who was fired from a clinic in Houston, Texas for allegedly stealing multiple doses of the coronavirus vaccine, gave a compelling case for his actions in an interview with The New York Times.
When a nurse opened an 11-dose vial of vaccine at the end of a vaccination event for police and medical workers led by Gokal on December 29 last year, it turned out that everyone present had already been vaccinated. The remaining doses expired after a few hours. With the permission of the Harris County official, Gokal on his way home began calling people on the numbers stored in his mobile phone. He says he gave the vaccine to nine elderly people, including a 90-year-old woman, but one dose went unclaimed. When half an hour was left before the expiration date of the vaccine, he administered the vaccine to his wife – she had lung problems and she was entitled to priority vaccinations.
After he passed the vaccination report to his supervisor, he was fired. He was told that he was obliged to return unused doses to the office, where they would most likely be thrown into the trash. The judge dropped the vaccine theft charges against Gokal, but the district attorney intends to present evidence of his guilt to the grand jury.
Newspaper headline:
Theft or a sensible act?