THE OTHER SIDE

Doctor Charged With ‘Stealing’ Vaccines Says He Actually Gave Them to At-Risk People

The doctor said the vial he’s accused of stealing was about to spoil, so he scrambled to give shots to vulnerable people he could find before that deadline.

A Texas doctor who was fired, disgraced, and charged with theft last month for allegedly stealing a vial of the coronavirus vaccine has spoken out for the first time—and he says there’s much more to the story. The doctor, Hasan Gokal, told The New York Times that the vial he’s accused of stealing was six hours away from spoiling, so he scrambled to administer shots to vulnerable people before that deadline after health workers said no thanks. According to the Times, recipients included a bed-bound person in their nineties, an eighty-something woman with dementia, and a mom whose child who uses a ventilator. The last recipient was Gokal’s wife, who has a severe lung disorder. Gokal was fired and the story of the thieving doctor spread around the world, which he described as “the lowest moment in my life.” A Harris County judge dismissed the case against him this month, but the local district attorney reportedly wants to take it to a grand jury. Gokal has been told he can’t return to work until the matter is fully resolved, so he’s volunteering at a nonprofit clinic for the uninsured.