West Demerara Hospital driver admits to stealing 12 COVID-19 vaccine books- police

Last Updated on Wednesday, 25 August 2021, 19:22 by Denis Chabrol

Police on Wednesday said that a West Demerara Hospital driver has admitted to stealing a dozen COVID-19 vaccine books from a quantity that he had uplifted from the Ministry of Health.

“One of the suspects admitted to being the one that sometimes would uplift the COVID-19 books from the Ministry of Health in Georgetown and take them to the West Demerara Regional Hospital and during that process, he would have taken out twelve books,” police said.

He and two other employees of that health care institution remain in custody after a nurse and her supervisor at the Vreed-en-Hoop Health Centre called in police when one of the suspects asked for a card to be signed.

Investigators said that in addition the four books already allegedly seized from the suspects, they obtained permission from the Medical Superintendent of the West Demerara Regional Hospital and searched a bus that is usually driven by one of the suspects. Police said they found seven blue blank COVID-19 books in a compartment between the driver and passenger’s seat.

Investigators said a nurse has denied signing one of the COVID-19 vaccination cards that has been allegedly found in possession of one of the suspects. “Further investigations led to a nurse being interviewed who denied that the signature on one of the books found in the suspects possession and allegedly signed by her, was not hers,” the Guyana Police Force said in a statement.

Police said they have also found seven signed sick-leave forms, a stethoscope, a glucometer and a blood pressure testing machine in the bedroom of one of the suspects.