Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine is presented 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
It is possible that the doses of the coronavirus vaccine were obtained and distributed unfairly in parts of New York, the state’s top doctor said on Saturday.
Dr. Howard Zucker, commissioner for the state health department, says his office received reports of 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 inoculating front-line health professionals and long-term caregivers, Zucker said. The initial release of the vaccine in New York was still limited to hospitals and nursing homes.
The ParCare Community Health Network – identified by the state as a provider in Orange County – offers branches in several neighborhoods in Brooklyn and the Upper East Side.
On December 16, the company offered vaccine doses based on “first come, first served” through a social media post on Facebook. The post included a registration form for the elderly, high-risk people and those with basic conditions.
One week later, ParCare shared photos of the Moderna vaccine on Twitter, saying the company had received thousands of doses.
The DOH said it would not comment beyond Zucker’s statement on Saturday.
“We take this very seriously and the DOH will assist the state police in a criminal investigation into this matter. Anyone who found to have knowingly participated in this plan will be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law,” Zucker said. in Saturday’s press release.
A statement from ParCare acknowledged the health department’s investigation and assured cooperation as the state investigates.
“In these unprecedented times, we have strived to provide critical health care and administer COVID-19 vaccinations to those qualified to receive them in accordance with the guidelines of the New York State Department of Health, which includes health care workers. of first rank and the first respondents ”, it is shown in the communiqué in part.
In late October, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced a partnership with ParCare to increase the availability of rapid testing at several locations in Borough Park and Williamsburg.