A chain of health clinics owned by a Hasidic man serving several Hasidic communities in Brooklyn and upstate New York is being investigated for administering COVID-19 vaccines to members of the general public.
New York State Health Commissioner Howard Zucker announced the investigation by the ParCare Community Health Network on Saturday, saying in a statement that clinics may have obtained the vaccines “fraudulently” and administered doses to members of the “opposite” public to the state plan “.
But BoroPark24, a Yiddish news service, reported on December 21 that ParCare had obtained 3,500 doses of the vaccine produced by Moderna and would vaccinate 500 people that day. The chain’s CEO, Gary Schlesinger, told BoroPark24 that ParCare has obtained permission to vaccinate patients and that only people over 60 or with underlying diseases would be eligible in the beginning. The next day, he retweeted a picture of himself receiving the vaccine.
“We take this very seriously and the DOH will assist the State Police in a criminal investigation into the matter,” said Zucker in his statement. “Anyone found to have consciously participated in this scheme will be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law.”
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ParCare operates six clinics, including Williamsburg, Borough Park and Bensonhurst in Brooklyn and Monroe, New York, the city of Orange County that encompasses the Satmar village of Kiryas Joel. Throughout the pandemic, these orthodox neighborhoods have attracted attention because they do not have many people wearing masks and because they hold large events, such as weddings, in violation of state rules.
On Friday, the clinic retweeted a photo of a prominent rabbi, Hershel Schachter, receiving a vaccine. “Done at @ParCare,” wrote the clinic.