The CEO of a company that once worked with the city of Philadelphia to distribute coronavirus vaccines, but now involved in controversy, admitted that he took some vaccines home with him and injected his friends.
Andrei Doroshin made his confession on Thursday on TODAY, in what was his first TV interview since the explosion of the scandal involving Philly Fighting COVID, a group that has already injected vaccines issued by the city. The city has since severed relations after the group did not disclose that it recently became a for-profit company after collecting personal information from thousands of residents.
Doroshin defended the decision to inject friends, despite not being a trained nurse. He told Stephanie Gosk of TODAY that he administered four doses that were left over and were about to expire. Doroshin said he and his group made calls looking for high-risk people who qualified for a chance but found no one.
“I maintain that decision. I understand that I made that mistake. This is my mistake to carry for the rest of my life, but it is not the mistake of the organization, ”said Doroshin.
City health officials said on Wednesday that an audit of the doses of vaccine administered to Philly Fighting COVID found “no evidence that the vaccine was wasted, stolen or misused”.
The decision by the Philadelphia Department of Public Health to partner with PFC, a 9-month startup, despite having a litany of other options in the city full of hospitals, was surprising from the start.
“Why we have to have an organization that is less than nine months old, started by students mainly to produce PPE, and not by organizations that have a proven track record in helping people deal with COVID-19, is beyond my understanding” Councilwoman Katherine Gilmore Richardson said. “I am amazed, discouraged and I will never understand how it happened.”
The group never signed a contract with the city before receiving the vaccine doses, because, according to the spokesman for the health department, James Garrow, the city has not received federal funds to distribute the doses. Instead, the city only requires organizations to fill out an interest form before receiving and distributing the vaccine, he said.
The city refused to make public the registration form that Philly Fighting COVID completed to start receiving doses.
Initially, the group was testing for the coronavirus and settled at the Pennsylvania Convention Center, where it ran vaccination clinics and injected nearly 7,000 people. But in recent weeks, the health department said PFC had abruptly stopped testing for the virus, also a key component of the partnership.
Recently, on January 8, the city actively directed people to the group’s website to “pre-commit” to be notified when they qualify for a vaccine. However, the group recently posted a privacy policy, after concerns about selling people’s personal information, which Doroshin said did not happen and would violate HIPAA rules.
Since then, the city has created its own website and is encouraging people to sign up for it.
PFC also started to charge instance companies for vaccines, despite receiving them free of charge. Doroshin also defended that decision, claiming that the donations the group was receiving were not enough to fund the operation of vaccination clinics.
However, reports from WHYY and Billy Penn indicated that Doroshin embellished his resume and always planned to make a profit. A former PFC volunteer told the media that Doroshin openly boasted about using the opportunity to become a millionaire.
The group was also investigated for other allegedly inappropriate practices.
Katrina Lipinsky, a registered nurse and former PFC volunteer, told NBC10 that she found it “unusual” that the group did not ask to see her credentials before allowing her to administer the vaccines.
It is now unclear whether Doroshin, who claims to have received death threats recently, will face any criminal charges. Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Kraner and Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro are investigating the matter.
Several members of the Philadelphia City Council are also holding hearings on the partnership between the city and the group.