薬剤師は「陰謀論者」、ワクチン数百回分を常温放置か　米

【ワシントンＡＦＰ＝時事】新型コロナウイルスワクチンを常温放置し、使い物にならなくしたとされる米国の薬剤師について、「陰謀論者」で、ワクチンの安全性に関する根拠のないうわさを信じていることが分かった。当局が4日、明らかにした。（写真は資料写真）
　薬剤師のスティーブン・ブランデンバーグ容疑者（４６）は昨年１２月、ウィスコンシン州グラフトンにあるオーロラ医療センターで、新型ウイルスワクチンは危険で、ヒトのＤＮＡを改変しかねないという誤った考えに基づき、米製薬大手モデルナ製のバイアル瓶５７本を冷凍庫から取り出し、使い物にならなくしたとされる。バイアル瓶１本には、ワクチン１０回分が入っている。
　モデルナ製のワクチン、そして米製薬大手ファイザーと独製薬ビオンテックが共同開発したワクチンはそれぞれ、遺伝情報を人体に伝え、新型ウイルスに対する抗体の生成を促す伝令ＲＮＡ技術に基づいている。
　専門家によると、ワクチンがヒトのＤＮＡを改変するという証拠は一切なく、これまでも大勢がｍＲＮＡワクチンを接種してきた。
　検察当局によると、これらの新型ウイルスワクチンは超低温での保管が必要で、常温では成分が壊れる可能性があるが、ブランデンバーグ容疑者は２回にわたってワクチンを使い物にならなくしようとした。
　ブランデンバーグ容疑者は当初、ワクチンは誤って常温放置されていたと病院側に報告していた。しかし、後に故意にワクチンを冷凍庫から取り出したと認めた。
　病院はブランデンバーグ容疑者を解雇し、米連邦捜査局（ＦＢＩ）などの関係当局に通報。容疑者は昨年１２月３１日に逮捕された。
　ＩＴ大手がさまざまな対策を取っているにもかかわらず、ソーシャルメディアは新型ウイルスのパンデミック（世界的な大流行）、特にワクチンに関する根拠のない陰謀論であふれている。
　当局と専門家らはこうした陰謀論について、接種へのためらいや接種拒否につながるため、新型ウイルス対策にとって深刻な脅威だと指摘している。【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】
〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2021/01/06-16:26）

An American pharmacist who allegedly destroyed hundreds of coronavirus vaccine doses last month was an admitted conspiracy theorist and believed in a baseless rumor about their safety, authorities have said.
Steven Brandenburg removed 57 vials of the Moderna Covid-19 vaccine, each containing around 10 doses, from refrigerators at the Aurora Medical Center in Grafton, Wisconsin, in an attempt to destroy them because he believed -- wrongly -- that they were dangerous and could alter human DNA.
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.
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.
His intent... was to render them inert because he'd formed this belief that they were unsafe, that the RNA method of creating these medications rendered them unsafe, Ozaukee County district attorney Adam Gerol said during the hearing.
Brandenburg had initially told hospital authorities that the vaccines were left unrefrigerated by accident, but later admitted that he removed them on purpose.
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's operator said.
The people were notified and there is no evidence that the inert vaccines harmed them, according to the hospital's operator.
He was fired and the hospital informed the authorities, including the FBI. He was arrested on Thursday last week.
Brandenburg, 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, according to a probable cause statement from the police, released by local media.
The prosecution said his charges may be downgraded if they find the vaccines can still be used.
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.
He told me that if I didn't understand by now that... the world is crashing down around us, I am in serious denial, she said in an affidavit, according to The New York Times.
He continued to say that the government is planning cyberattacks and plans to shut down the power grid.
Brandenburg was released on bail and ordered to surrender his firearms.
Baseless conspiracy theories about the pandemic, especially vaccines, have been rampant on social media despite efforts by tech giants to counter them.
Authorities and experts have said such misinformation poses a serious threat to the fight against the virus by promoting vaccine hesitancy and even outright rejection.