A Houston area health department doctor is accused by prosecutors of stealing nine doses of coronavirus vaccine from a damaged vial and administering them to family and friends. But Hasan Gokal insists he did nothing wrong and was only trying to ensure the vaccine was not wasted, his attorney said Thursday.

Authorities allege that Gokal, who worked for Harris County Public Health, stole a vial of the Moderna coronavirus vaccine while working at a vaccination site at a suburban Houston park on Dec. 29.

Gokal told a health department employee earlier this month that “he had taken a punctured vial of the Moderna vaccine … at the end of operations and that he took the vial offsite and vaccinated his friends and family,” according to a probable cause complaint.

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