Public health doctor gave COVID vaccine to family and friends, Texas authorities say

Update: Judge dismisses charge against Texas doctor accused of stealing COVID vaccine doses

A Texas doctor is accused of taking doses of the COVID-19 vaccine and using it on friends and family, authorities say.

Harris County Public Health doctor Hasan Gokal is charged with theft by a public servant after taking a vial from a vaccination site, authorities say.

Gokal was working Dec. 29 at a vaccination site at a park in Humble, northeast of Houston, when he took the vial with nine doses, authorities say. The next week, he told a public health coworker, who reported it to supervisors, authorities say.

“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,” Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg said in a news release. “What he did was illegal and he’ll be held accountable under the law.”

According to the public health department, mishandling the COVID-19 vaccine can lead to a loss of government funding. Gokal “disregarded” protocols in place to ensure doses aren’t wasted, authorities say.

Gokal was fired by the public health department.

Gokal’s attorney, Paul Doyle, said in a statement to KTRK his client is a “dedicated public servant who ensured COVID-19 vaccine dosages that would have otherwise expired went into the arms of people who met the criteria for receiving.”

“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 in the statement to the Houston TV station. “We look forward to our day in court to right this wrong.”

This story was originally published January 21, 2021 at 7:07 PM.