The Vaccine Had to Be Used. He Used It. He Was Fired.

[Akoto]

The Texas doctor had six hours. Now that a vial of Covid-19 vaccine had been opened on this late December night, he had to find 10 eligible people for its remaining doses before the precious medicine expired. In six hours.

Scrambling, the doctor made house calls and directed people to his home outside Houston. Some were acquaintances; others, strangers. A bed-bound nonagenarian. A woman in her 80s with dementia. A mother with a child who uses a ventilator.

After midnight, and with just minutes before the vaccine became unusable, the doctor, Hasan Gokal, gave the last dose to his wife, who has a pulmonary disease that leaves her short of breath.

For his actions, Dr. Gokal was fired from his government job and then charged with stealing 10 vaccine doses worth a total of $135 -- a shun-worthy misdemeanor that sent his name and mug shot rocketing around the globe.

Read More: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/10/us/houston-doctor-fired-covid-vaccine.html

Reposting here because I think it's an important read, and it was locked in LBN. The biggest news topic on the planet right now is off topic. Oh-kay.

[Hoyt]

1. Understand why we have firm policies, etc. But, Jeez, it seems we need some commonsense too.

[kag]

12. Agreed.

On both counts.

[magicarpet]

2. It is like the ambulance crew that got stuck in traffic

Health Workers Stuck in Snow Give Expiring Vaccine Doses to Drivers ...

Jan 28, 2021 — Stuck in traffic after snow shut down the highway, workers in Josephine County were able to inoculate six other drivers with Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine.

https://people.com/health/oregon-health-workers-expiring-vaccine-doses-snowstorm/

[JDC]

10. That was my first thought.

[demmiblue]

3. It was locked because it is past the 12 hour requirement for LBN (date of article is Feb. 10th).

Also, it's not like it hasn't been posted before:

https://upload.democraticunderground.com/100215089873

Aside from that, it is a really good article that is well worth the read.

[FakeNoose]

4. Every clinic has days that people don't show up, for whatever reason

Vaccine shots are sometimes leftover at the end of the day. It happens, and it can't be helped.

What should they do, throw them away and waste them? Call the people on the next day's list and ask them to come in early? When it's senior citizens (or working medical professionals) they probably can't reschedule on short notice.

The point is these vaccines are only good for a few hours, then they must be thrown out. It doesn't mean that someone jumped the line, or someone cheated. Dr. Gokal made a smart decision that didn't hurt anyone and it benefitted someone. You want to make him pay for the vaccine? OK make him pay, but don't fire the guy. Something is wrong at this Texas hospital.

[samnsara]

5. thats horrid! shame on them for firing that doc... this is being done everywhere to save vaccine

..from spoiling. In my county we got an unexpected amount late at night that had to be used asap. Phone calls were made to those on the list who didnt want to come out at Midnight. So.. the next calls were to the college and they all came out in pjs and fuzzy slippers!

In Oregon a vaccination team was stuck in traffic on a mtn pass along with a whole lotta other cars. the vaccine was to expire in a few hours. They had just left the clinic so they had all the paperwork and the rest of their team were in other cars...with their clinic MD. They would not get back to their office in time to refridge the vaccine. They approached the other stuck cars and offered shots. Some declined but one elderly guy got out of the car and took off his shirt he was so happy to get a shot! NO shots went to waste.

The stories of wasted vaccines really piss me off but stories like these make me smile.

[Hekate]

6. Thanks a bunch for posting this. I've had it up on my screen for days, thinking it needed ...

...to be posted at DU. A terrible injustice has been done to Dr Gokal and his family.

[stopdiggin]

7. this was dismissed the minute it got before

a judge. Serious overreach (and plain old lack of smarts) on the part of the DA in filing charges. But the BIG villain in this piece/farce is the doctor's boss (Harris County Public Health) in actually accusing him of "stealing" vaccine. Gokal phoned supervisors and told them of his plans to distribute that night -- then immediately turned in records for his actions at work the following morning.

I smell a substantial lawsuit in the offing. And deservedly.

snip - NYTimes - Dr. Gokal said he called a Harris County public health official in charge of operations to report his plans to find 10 people to receive the remaining doses. He said he was told, simply: OK.

- snip - The next morning, he said, he submitted the paperwork for the 10 people he had vaccinated the previous night, including his wife. He said he also informed his supervisor and colleagues of what he had done, and why.

Several days later, the doctor said, that supervisor and the human resources director summoned him to ask whether he had administered 10 doses outside of the scheduled event on Dec. 29. He said he had, in keeping with guidelines not to waste the vaccine — and was promptly fired.

The officials maintained that he had violated protocol and should have returned the remaining doses to the office or thrown them away, the doctor recalled. He also said that one of the officials startled him by questioning the lack of “equity” among those he had vaccinated.

“Are you suggesting that there were too many Indian names in that group?” Dr. Gokal said he asked.

Exactly, he said he was told.

[DanieRains]

8. So It Will Take Maybe 5 Minutes For Him To Find A Better Job - Doctors Are Desperately Needed

I think he will be ok, but the stupid does still burn.

[usaf-vet]

9. Nice message better to destroy the vaccine then give it to available humans that needed the shot.

$135 dollars seriously! I hope this Doctor sues the crap out of the former employer.

Idiots with power. Were they wearing red hats by any chance?

[orleans]

11. wow k&r nt

[patphil]

13. I can't find the article, but...

didn't a bunch of college students get the vaccine recently for the same reason?

It makes so much sense.

[niyad]

14. I seem to remember, when this was posted before, that there was a similar story about

a doctor, expiring vaccine doses. .and his wealthy friends who got those doses. No charges for the second dr. A white dr. and wealthy friends. . .a not-white dr. And people who really needed it. Hmmmmmmm.

[BobTheSubgenius]

15. This is an example of oversight gone berserk.

They would have been quite happy if he had thrown it out, but vaccinating and perhaps saving the lives of 13 people is a firing offence.

Got it.