Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine is photographed at Rady Children’s Hospital before being put back in the refrigerator in San Diego, California, on December 15, 2020.
Adriana Drehsler | AFP | Getty Images
Doses of the coronavirus vaccine may have been mistakenly obtained and distributed in parts of New York, the state doctor said on Saturday.
Dr. Howard Zucker, commissioner of the state’s health department, says his office has received reports from the ParCare Community Health Network “fraudulently” obtaining the vaccine and transferring it to “facilities in other parts of the state”.
Vaccine doses allegedly diverted to “members of the public” circumvent the state’s plan to prioritize inoculation of frontline health workers and residents of long-term care facilities, Zucker said. The initial launch of the vaccine in New York is still limited to hospitals and nursing homes.
ParCare Community Health Network – identified by the state as a supplier in Orange County – serves branches in several neighborhoods in Brooklyn and the Upper East Side.
On December 16, the company offered doses of the vaccine “on a first-come, first-served basis” via a social media post on Facebook. The post included an application form for the elderly, people at high risk and people with underlying diseases.
A week later, ParCare shared photos of the Moderna vaccine on Twitter, saying the company had received thousands of doses.
DOH said it would make no comment other than Zucker’s statement on Saturday.
“We take this very seriously and the DOH will be assisting the State Police in a criminal investigation into this matter. Anyone who has consciously participated in this scheme will be held responsible to the full extent of the law,” said Zucker in Saturday’s press release. .
A statement by ParCare acknowledged the health department’s inquiry and guaranteed cooperation while the state investigates.
“During these unprecedented times, we have endeavored to provide essential health services and administer COVID-19 vaccines to those qualified to receive them in accordance with New York State Department of Health guidelines, which include health care professionals from first line and first responders, “says the statement: in part.
In late October, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced a partnership with ParCare to increase the availability of rapid tests at various locations in Borough Park and Williamsburg.