Police investigating missing Pfizer vaccine in Attica vaccination center

Greek Police is investing the mysterious loss of a Pfizer vaccine vial from a vaccination center in the district of Peristeri, northwestern Attica, on Wednesday afternoon.

A nurse who spoke to the police on Wednesday said that she took out a vial from the freezer to administer a dose and left it on a specific spot. She then left the room and when she returned the vial was gone. It was not clear why she left the room.

In an initial survey of the scene on Wednesday, officers from Peristeri’s police department determined that there were no signs of forced entry into the vaccination area.

Officers will return on Thursday to collect possible fingerprints and DNA samples from the room, while the nurse is expected to speak to the authorities again.

Authorities have not ruled out any possibility, including theft.

Speaking to Open TV channel, the president of the Athens and Piraeus hospital doctors’ association (EINAP), Matina Pagoni, said the vaccine is useless to the person who stole it because it will be destroyed if it is not kept at the proper temperature and it is very difficult to use outside a lab.

A single vial of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine can deliver up to six doses.