At least two investigations are underway on how the city’s health department gave Andrei Doroshin a non-contract job, a student at Drexel University with almost no public health experience.
“You know what, I did the job. We did the job. We vaccinated almost 7,000 people,” Doroshin said in an interview with Action News.
He said the Philadelphia Department of Health was fortunate that his company was used to operate the vaccine clinic at the Pennsylvania Convention Center for healthcare professionals.
“They couldn’t do this alone. Dr. Farley screwed up. He couldn’t do this alone,” said Doroshin.
The City Council plans a hearing Friday. Council President Darrell Clarke wants to demand that the city sign written contracts with vaccine partners, due to what he called the embarrassment and distrust that followed. In the meantime, the City’s Office of the Inspector General is examining whether Dr. Caroline Johnson, an interim deputy in the health department, unfairly provided the Doroshin group and another potential candidate with information on the budget that was not publicly disclosed.
“She did not favor one of these organizations over the other. She did not provide information on how to provide a clinical vaccination plan or other inside information. And she did not offer any additional doses of vaccine to any of the organizations,” said Farley of Johnson.
SEE TOO: Philadelphia deputy health commissioner resigns
Johnson, an infectious disease specialist, resigned over the weekend. Mayor Jim Kenney on Monday praised his previous work for the city, but said that “we will stumble occasionally” as the city responds to the pandemic.
The City Council plans a hearing on Friday on the work given to Doroshin’s group, Philly Fighting Covid, which distributed nearly 7,000 vaccines this month before the city closed it amid questions about its competence and the patient’s privacy policy .
“It was clear that it was a connection. Why wasn’t it in writing?” Council Member Cindy Bass asked at a virtual press conference on Monday afternoon.
Doroshin insisted that he did nothing wrong, although he admits that he took home four doses of the difficult-to-obtain vaccine and administered it to friends.
“The health department’s recommendation was to put it on any arm. This is a war against a virus. At the end of the day the doses were about to expire,” said Doroshin last week. “What would you have done? You have these four extra doses, you called everyone, they are almost expired, the guidance says to put on your arm.”
SEE TOO: Philly Fighting COVID CEO defends the company’s actions in an individual interview
– The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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