Photographer: Eric Lee / Bloomberg
Photographer: Eric Lee / Bloomberg
A health care provider in New York may have fraudulently obtained Covid-19 vaccines and diverted them to the public in violation of priority guidelines, the state government said on Saturday.
New York State police have launched a criminal investigation into the matter, which could be the first scandal related to the distribution of vaccines in the state.
The State Department of Health is aware of reports that ParCare Community Health Network, a provider with a clinic in Orange County, “may have fraudulently obtained the Covid-19 vaccine, transferred to facilities in other parts of the state in violation of state guidelines and diverted to members of the public, ”, State health commissioner Howard Zucker said in a statement.
The ParCare website shows that it has six locations, including four in Brooklyn, New York, and says his patients are “mainly Hasidic Orthodox Jews, Hispanics and African Americans.”
A hyperlocal Orthodox Jewish news site, BoroPark 24, published a story on December 21, saying that ParCare had received a shipment of The vaccines from Moderna Inc., and showed vaccine boxes in what appeared to be a refrigerator. It also had what appeared to be a copy of a ParCare ad announcing the availability of “The Newest Healthcare Revolution!” on a first-come, first-served basis.
Gary Schlesinger, executive director of ParCare, was quoted as saying that people who are “healthcare professionals, are over 60 or have underlying diseases” can register online to get a vaccine.
This differs from state guidelines, which allow only frontline healthcare professionals, or nursing home staff and residents, to receive the first batch of vaccines.
“We take this very seriously and DOH will be assisting the State Police in a criminal investigation into the matter,” said Zucker in the statement. “Anyone found to have consciously participated in this scheme will be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law.”
ParCare representatives did not immediately respond to a request for comment sent on Saturday.