Car With $10,000 Worth Of COVID Vaccine Inside Stolen In Central Florida

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MIAMI (CBSMiami/AP) - A car carrying $10,000 worth of COVID-19 vaccine was stolen at a central Florida vaccination site.

The Plant City Police Department said the gray Hyundai Accent had been left with the engine running and unlocked by a driver who worked for CDR Maguire, a contractor hired for vaccination scheduling and logistical support, including taking vaccines from county health departments to specific sites.

The company said in a statement that its employee was taking 30 vaccine vials in temperature-controlled coolers from the Hillsborough County Department of Health in Tampa to Plant City's Strawberry Festival Fairgrounds, but at the entrance of the delivery point there was "a line that hindered him from entering." The driver got out of the car to find a security guard to allow him into the site when the suspect got in the car and took off.

The 21-year-old driver is not considered a suspect.

"We have no reason to believe the thief knew the vials were in the car," CDR Maguire said in an emailed statement, adding that it has already secured replacements and the incident had not prompted any cancellations of vaccine appointments.