Texas doctor steals vial of coronavirus vaccine; may face jail time

As the world is waiting for its turn to receive the coronavirus vaccine, some people have decided to not wait for their official turn, but in an illegal way.

A public health doctor from Texas has been charged with stealing the Harris County District Attorney's Office.

Dr Hasan Gokal has been accused of stealing a vial with nine doses of the coronavirus vaccine on December 29, 2020, while working at a vaccination point in Humble, towards the north of Houston.

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Gokal has been alleged of disregarding "disregarded county protocols in place to ensure the vaccine is not wasted but administered to vulnerable populations and front-line workers on a waiting list," authorities said.

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"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," District Attorney Kim Ogg said in a statement. "What he did was illegal, and he'll be held accountable under the law."

Gokal is now being charged withtheft by a public servant, a misdemeanour which can lead up to a year of jail time or a fine of nearly $4,000.

The doctor's attorneys, however, have rubbished these allegations and have claimed that Gokal is a "dedicated public servant who ensured that COVID-19 vaccine dosages that would have otherwise expired went into the arms of people who met the criteria for receiving it."

His attorney Paul Doyle has alleged the hospital of wanting to tarnish Gokal's reputation. "Harris County would have preferred Dr Gokal let the vaccines go to waste and are attempting to disparage this man's reputation in the process to support this policy," Doyle said.

It has been reported that Gokal had shared his apparent illegal act with a colleague, who then ratted him out to the supervisors, who then told the authorities. However, Gokal has not offered a statement yet on this and has claimed to have more to say in the court.