A Wisconsin-based hospital on Wednesday said an employee who removed 57 vials of the Moderna coronavirus vaccine from the refrigerator earlier this week which resulted in 500 doses being discarded, acted intentionally.
In a statement to Fox News, Advocate Aurora Health said it was led to believe the act was an error, but the employee in question "today acknowledged that they intentionally removed the vaccine from refrigeration."
The employee is no longer with the company, it said. 
"We continue to believe that vaccination is our way out of the pandemic," the company said. "We are more than disappointed that this individual's action will result in a delay of more than 500 people receiving their vaccine."
Aurora officials initially said the employee at the Aurora Medical Center in Grafton forgot to put the vials back in refrigeration after removing them. Each vial contained 10 doses of the vaccine, according to local reports. 
The former employee's actions were "a violation of our core values" and have been reported to authorities for further investigation, the company said.