Photographer: Eric Lee / Bloomberg
Photographer: Eric Lee / Bloomberg
A New York health care provider may have fraudulently obtained Covid-19 vaccines and diverted them to members of the public, in violation of priority guidelines, the state government said on Saturday.
New York State Police have launched a criminal investigation into the incident, which could be the state’s first vaccine distribution scandal.
The State Department of Health is aware of the reports that ParCare Community Health Network, a provider with a clinic in Orange County in the north of the state, “could have fraudulently obtained the Covid-19 vaccine, transferred it to facilities in other parts of the state, violated state instructions, and diverted it. to the public, ”State Health Commissioner Howard Zucker said in a statement.
The ParCare website says 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 Dec. 21, saying that ParCare received a shipment of Modern Vaccines Inc. and showed boxes of vaccines in what appeared to be a refrigerator. It also had what appeared to be a copy of a ParCare ad that claimed the availability of “The Newest Healthcare Revolution!” based on “first come, first served”.
Gary Schlesinger, chief executive of ParCare, was quoted as saying that people who are “health workers, over 60 or have underlying conditions” can register online to get a vaccine.
This differs from the state guidelines, which allow only front-line health workers, or nursing home staff and residents, to receive the first batch of vaccines.
“We take this very seriously and the DOH will assist the State Police in a criminal investigation into this matter,” Zucker said in a statement. “Anyone who has knowingly participated in this system will be held liable to the fullest extent of the law.”
Representatives with ParCare did not immediately respond to a request for comment sent on Saturday.