VOA慢速英语--美国一药剂师破坏几百剂新冠疫苗被捕

A pharmacist in the American state of Wisconsin told police that he tried to ruin hundreds of doses of coronavirus vaccine¹. In court documents released Monday, the man said he believed the vaccine would change people's DNA².

Police in the city of Grafton arrested pharmacist Steven Brandenburg on December 31. The arrest followed an investigation³ into the 57 damaged vials of the Moderna vaccine at Advocate Aurora⁴ Health. Officials said the vials contained enough doses to vaccinate⁵ more than 500 people.

Government lawyer Adam Gerol told The Associated Press, "He'd formed this belief they were unsafe." Gerol added that Brandenburg was upset because he and his wife are separating.

Another employee within the Advocate Aurora Health hospital system said Brandenburg had brought a gun to work two times in the past.

Brandenburg has not yet been criminally charged.

False information about COVID-19 vaccines⁶

A police investigator⁷ wrote in court documents that Brandenburg admitted to being a conspiracy⁸ theorist – someone who believes in secret plans that usually powerful people or groups make. He told investigators⁹ he knowingly tried to ruin the doses because he thought the vaccine could harm people by changing their DNA.

False information about COVID-19 vaccines has been shared on social media, including claims that "mRNA" vaccines will change your DNA. Some theories claim the shots will turn people into genetically¹⁰ modified human beings.

Both the Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines use messenger RNA, or mRNA. The use of mRNA in vaccine development is fairly new. But scientists have worked on the technology for almost 30 years.

The mRNA vaccines give cells instructions for how to make what is called the "spike¹¹ protein." This is a substance found on the surface of the virus that causes COVID-19. The human body can then recognize that the protein does not belong there and start producing antibodies to fight against the virus.

Experts have said there is no truth to claims that the vaccines can genetically modify humans. Health officials in Britain, the United States and Europe have approved the vaccines for emergency use.

What happened?

Jeff Bahr is head of Advocate Aurora Health Care in Grafton. He said Brandenburg admitted that he removed vials containing the vaccine from refrigeration and left them out two times.

Another worker discovered the vaccines outside the refrigerator on December 26. Brandenburg told that worker he had forgotten to put them back. The Moderna vaccine can remain effective for 12 hours outside refrigeration. Workers used the doses to vaccinate 57 people before throwing away the rest. Police said the unused doses were worth between $8,000 and $11,000.

Bahr believes the shots people received on December 26 were not effective. But government lawyer Adam Gerol said Moderna would need to test the shots to make sure they were ineffective before he can bring charges against Brandenburg.

Brandenburg's wife of eight years filed for divorce in June. Court documents said the day before Brandenburg was arrested for ruining the vaccine, he told his wife that the world was "crashing down." He told her the government was planning cyberattacks and was going to shut down the power network.

Words in This Story

pharmacist - n. a person whose job is to prepare and administer¹² drugs and medicines

dose - n. the amount of medicine or drug

vial - n. very small glass or plastic container used to hold medicines

conspiracy - n. a secret plan to do something that is harmful and illegal

modified - adj. changed parts of something

refrigeration - n. the state of keeping something cold

divorce - n. the ending of a marriage by a legal process

1 vaccine   

n.牛痘苗，疫苗；adj.牛痘的，疫苗的

参考例句：

• The polio vaccine has saved millions of lives.脊髓灰质炎疫苗挽救了数以百万计的生命。
• She takes a vaccine against influenza every fall.她每年秋季接种流感疫苗。

2 DNA   

(缩)deoxyribonucleic acid 脱氧核糖核酸

参考例句：

• DNA is stored in the nucleus of a cell.脱氧核糖核酸储存于细胞的细胞核里。
• Gene mutations are alterations in the DNA code.基因突变是指DNA密码的改变。

3 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

4 aurora   

n.极光

参考例句：

• The aurora is one of nature's most awesome spectacles.极光是自然界最可畏的奇观之一。
• Over the polar regions we should see aurora.在极地高空,我们会看到极光。

5 vaccinate   

vt.给…接种疫苗；种牛痘

参考例句：

• Local health officials then can plan the best times to vaccinate people.这样，当地的卫生官员就可以安排最佳时间给人们接种疫苗。
• Doctors vaccinate us so that we do not catch smallpox.医生给我们打预防针使我们不会得天花。

6 vaccines   

疫苗，痘苗( vaccine的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His team are at the forefront of scientific research into vaccines. 他的小组处于疫苗科研的最前沿。
• The vaccines were kept cool in refrigerators. 疫苗放在冰箱中冷藏。

7 investigator   

n.研究者，调查者，审查者

参考例句：

• He was a special investigator for the FBI.他是联邦调查局的特别调查员。
• The investigator was able to deduce the crime and find the criminal.调查者能够推出犯罪过程并锁定罪犯。

8 conspiracy   

n.阴谋，密谋，共谋

参考例句：

• The men were found guilty of conspiracy to murder.这些人被裁决犯有阴谋杀人罪。
• He claimed that it was all a conspiracy against him.他声称这一切都是一场针对他的阴谋。

9 investigators   

n.调查者，审查者( investigator的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• This memo could be the smoking gun that investigators have been looking for. 这份备忘录可能是调查人员一直在寻找的证据。
• The team consisted of six investigators and two secretaries. 这个团队由六个调查人员和两个秘书组成。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 genetically   

adv.遗传上

参考例句：

• All the bees in the colony are genetically related. 同一群体的蜜蜂都有亲缘关系。
• Genetically modified foods have already arrived on American dinner tables. 经基因改造加工过的食物已端上了美国人的餐桌。 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 基因与食物

11 spike   

n.长钉，钉鞋；v.以大钉钉牢，使...失效

参考例句：

• The spike pierced the receipts and held them in order.那个钉子穿过那些收据并使之按顺序排列。
• They'll do anything to spike the guns of the opposition.他们会使出各种手段来挫败对手。

12 administer   

v.施行，实施，掌管，料理···的事务，给予

参考例句：

• It takes brains to administer upon a large corporation.管理一家大公司需要智慧。
• They had the right to administer their own internal affairs.他们有权料理自己的事务。