Charges dropped against Dr. Hasan Gokal, Harris County health officer charged with stealing COVID-19 vaccine vial

HARRIS COUNTY, Texas (KTRK) – Charges against a doctor accused of stealing a vial of COVID-19 vaccine have been dropped.

Records indicate that no probable cause has been found in the case of Dr. Hasan Gokal, a Harris County Public Health employee.

The district attorney’s office told ABC13 that the district attorney has the option of presenting this case to a grand jury. No final decision has yet been taken.

In light of the news, Gokal’s lawyer, Paul Doyle, sent the following statement:

“We appreciate today’s outcome and will now turn our efforts into a wrongful termination lawsuit. As I stated publicly last week, an apology by Harris County Public Health and the Harris County District Attorney’s Office to Dr. Gokal and his family will not suffice. The office belittled the name of this good official and took his job for no reason, and more needs to be done by those responsible to rectify this.

We also sincerely hope that this incident does not stop other medical personnel on the front line from doing everything they can to ensure that vaccines are not wasted. “

According to previous records, Gokal was charged with stealing the nine-dose vial while working at the provincial vaccination site in Lyndsay Lyons Park in Humble on Dec. 29.

A week later, Gokal told a fellow Harris County Public Health employee, who then reported him to executives. Misuse of a vaccine can lead to a loss of government funding for the county, according to Harris County Public Health officials, who first investigated the matter, resulting in Gokal’s termination.

Gokal was one of Harris County Public Health’s faces during the pandemic, featured in videos and on town hall panels.

According to online records, he is in good standing with the Texas Medical Board and has practiced medicine for 21 years, including nine years in Texas.

The video above is from a previous story.

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