Philadelphia cuts ties with Covid-19 vaccine and testing organization after losing ‘confidence in them’

Philadelphia cuts ties with Covid-19 vaccine and testing organization after losing ‘confidence in them’

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In addition, Philly Fighting COVID (PFC) unexpectedly closed its Covid-19 test operations to focus on vaccine administration and moved from a nonprofit to a for-profit entity – a change the health department said it had learned in the local media.

Concerns were also raised about changes to the PFC’s privacy policy that would allow the sale of patient data collected through its online registration site, according to a report by a local media outlet.

“Trust is the most important thing that we have when distributing the vaccine, and we could not ask Philadelphia to trust a company that we no longer trust,” James Garrow, a spokesman for the Philadelphia Department of Public Health, told CNN on Thursday. “So, we immediately ended the relationship.”

The department announced on Tuesday that “it will no longer work with Philly Fighting COVID to provide tests or vaccines, with immediate effect,” following local news about growing concerns about PFC operations.

WHYY, a public media outlet, reported on January 20 that the sudden shift from PFC to a for-profit business to “focus on vaccine operations” left some communities and residents of Philadelphia untested without prior notice.
WHYY later reported on PFC’s updated privacy policy, which Garrow told the channel “could allow the organization to sell the data collected through the PFC’s pre-registration website”, although the city has no evidence that the data were sold. The PFC CEO denied having sold any data.
In addition, CEO Andrei Doroshin, 22, said in an interview with NBC’s “Today” program on Thursday that he took Covid-19 vaccines for eligible recipients and administered them to four of his friends.

Doroshin said he was trying to prevent the doses from being missed and that he was unable to find anyone who might need the vaccine more than his friends before it expired.

“The doses were about to expire,” he told NBC. “We called everyone we knew. Each person.”

CNN contacted Doroshin for comment, but received no response.

The group vaccinated approximately 6,800 people

On Tuesday, after the city announced it would no longer provide PFC with vaccines, Doroshin said in a statement that he never hid the group’s intentions to transition to a for-profit business.

“Vaccination of large groups of people requires resources, labor and, ultimately, financial aid. … We have always intended to increase the number of clinics to eventually vaccinate more people (we have been working on plans for months to increase vaccinations and shared them with the city) and money is needed for that, “he said.

Doroshin said his PFC never sold, “it would never sell, share or disclose any data we collect, as this would violate HIPAA rules” and that the “problematic” language of the company’s privacy policy has been removed.

He also said that his company switched from testing to providing vaccines because “we didn’t have enough resources to do both and we chose to vaccinate as many people as quickly as possible, as we believe this is what will help end this pandemic. “

Approximately 6,800 people received the first of two doses of the PFC vaccine, according to the company. The city’s health department says it is contacting everyone who received these doses to schedule the second dose with another service.

Philly Fighting COVID plans to give a press conference on the subject on Friday, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.

The allegations ‘are serious’, says AG

Philly Fighting COVID was first awarded a city contract to provide Covid-19 test services in August 2020, according to Garrow, the city’s health department spokesman. At the time, the group presented itself as a non-profit organization.

Doroshin had previously been the subject of positive news coverage, focusing on his group’s initial efforts to use a 3D printer to make face shields for hospital employees, before moving on to tests, according to an NBC News report earlier this month.

It was mid-January when the health department “heard rumors of canceled test events,” but contracted test providers can set their own schedules.

The health department later learned from news that the PFC canceled all of its test events in mid-January, despite the fact that the group was hired to provide these services until January 31.

Garrow said Doroshin had “spontaneously mentioned” that the group was considering moving to a for-profit entity in early January and was told that this would not be a problem, as the city has both for-profit and non-profit vaccine suppliers. But the health department learned that the move took place in December without his knowledge, after media outlets informed health officials.

The Philadelphia district attorney’s office, Larry Krasner, is looking into the charges against Philly Fighting COVID, according to a spokeswoman for the office.

In his own statement, Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro said the allegations “are serious and any consumer who believes they have been cheated should file a complaint with our office” over the phone or online.

“Taking advantage of people and their privacy under the guise of serving as a non-profit organization is not only unethical – it can also be against Pennsylvania law,” said Shapiro.

.Source

Philadelphia cuts ties with Covid-19 vaccine and testing organization after losing ‘confidence in them’

Philadelphia cuts ties with Covid-19 vaccine and testing organization after losing “confidence in them”

by

In addition, Philly Fighting COVID (PFC) unexpectedly closed its Covid-19 test operations to focus on vaccine administration and moved from a nonprofit to a for-profit entity – a change the health department said it had learned in the local media.

Concerns were also raised about changes to the PFC’s privacy policy that would allow the sale of patient data collected through its online registration site, according to a report by a local media outlet.

“Trust is the most important thing we have when distributing the vaccine, and we could not ask Philadelphia to trust a company that we no longer trust,” James Garrow, a spokesman for the Philadelphia Department of Public Health, told CNN On thursday. “So, we immediately ended the relationship.”

The department announced on Tuesday that “it will no longer work with Philly Fighting COVID to provide tests or vaccines, with immediate effect,” following local news about growing concerns about PFC operations.

WHYY, a public media outlet, reported on January 20 that the sudden shift from PFC to a profitable business to “focus on vaccine operations” has left some communities and residents of Philadelphia without testing without warning.
WHYY later reported on PFC’s updated privacy policy, which Garrow told the channel “could allow the organization to sell the data collected through the PFC’s pre-registration website”, although the city has no evidence that the data were sold. The PFC CEO denied having sold any data.
In addition, CEO Andrei Doroshin, 22, said in an interview with NBC’s “Today” program on Thursday that he took Covid-19 vaccines for eligible recipients and administered them to four of his friends.

Doroshin said he was trying to prevent the doses from being missed and that he was unable to find anyone who might need the vaccine more than his friends before it expired.

“The doses were about to expire,” he told NBC. “We called everyone we knew. Each person.”

CNN contacted Doroshin for comment, but received no response.

The group vaccinated approximately 6,800 people

On Tuesday, after the city announced it would no longer provide PFC with vaccines, Doroshin said in a statement that he never hid the group’s intentions to transition to a for-profit business.

“Vaccination of large groups of people requires resources, labor and, ultimately, financial aid. … We have always intended to increase the number of clinics to eventually vaccinate more people (we have been working on plans for months to increase vaccinations and shared them with the city) and money is needed for that “, said

Doroshin said his PFC never sold, “it would never sell, share or disclose any data we collect, as this would violate HIPAA rules” and that the “problematic” language of the company’s privacy policy has been removed.

He also said that his company switched from testing to providing vaccines because “we did not have enough resources to do both and we chose to vaccinate as many people as quickly as possible, as we believe this is what will help end this pandemic. “

Approximately 6,800 people received the first of two doses of the PFC vaccine, according to the company. The city’s health department says it is contacting everyone who received these doses to schedule the second dose with another service.

Philly Fighting COVID plans to give a press conference on the subject on Friday, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.

The allegations ‘are serious’, says AG

Philly Fighting COVID was first awarded a city contract to provide Covid-19 test services in August 2020, according to Garrow, the city’s health department spokesman. At the time, the group presented itself as a non-profit organization.

Doroshin had previously received positive news coverage, focusing on his group’s initial efforts to use a 3D printer to make face shields for hospital employees, before moving on to tests, according to an NBC News report earlier this week. month.

It was in mid-January when the health department “heard rumors of canceled test events”, but contracted test providers can set their own schedules.

The health department later learned from news that the PFC canceled all of its test events in mid-January, despite the fact that the group was hired to provide these services until January 31.

Garrow said Doroshin had “spontaneously mentioned” that the group was considering moving to a for-profit entity in early January and was told that this would not be a problem, as the city has both for-profit and non-profit vaccine suppliers. But the health department learned that the change occurred in December without his knowledge, after media outlets informed health officials.

The Philadelphia district attorney’s office, Larry Krasner, is looking into the charges against Philly Fighting COVID, according to a spokeswoman for the office.

In his own statement, Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro said the allegations “are serious and any consumer who believes they have been cheated should file a complaint with our office” over the phone or online.

“Taking advantage of people and their privacy under the guise of serving as a non-profit organization is not only unethical – it can also be against Pennsylvania law,” said Shapiro.

.Source