[ad_1]
A US healthcare provider in New York may have fraudulently obtained Covid-19 vaccines and diverted them to members of the public in violation of priority guidelines, the state government said.
The New York State Police launched a criminal investigation into the matter, which could be the first scandal related to the distribution of vaccines in the state.
John Cairns / AP
A vial of the coronavirus vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford, in Oxford, England. (File photo)
The State Department of Health is aware of reports that ParCare Community Health Network, a provider with a clinic in upstate Orange County, may have fraudulently obtained the Covid-19 vaccine, transferred it to facilities in other parts of the state in violation of state guidelines. and diverted it to members of the public, state health commissioner Howard Zucker said in a statement.
The ParCare website shows it has six locations, including four in Brooklyn, New York, and says its patients are “primarily Orthodox Hasidic Jews, Hispanics and African Americans.”
READ MORE:
* Covid-19: California becomes the first US state to exceed 2 million cases
* Covid-19: The use of field hospitals is a sad symbol of how poorly the United States has handled the pandemic
* Covid-19: Why New Zealand is waiting to launch vaccines, when some other countries have already started
* Covid-19 – Helps 30% of Vaccine Skeptics Trust Science
A hyperlocal orthodox Jewish news site, BoroPark 24, published a story Dec. 21, saying that ParCare had received a shipment of the vaccines from Moderna Inc and displayed boxes of the vaccines in what appeared to be a refrigerator. He also had what appeared to be a copy of a ParCare ad promoting the availability of “The New Revolution in Health Care!” “in order of arrival”.
Bill Sikes / AP
ParCare reportedly announced the availability of the Moderna vaccine to groups of people who are currently not allowed to receive the vaccine under state guidelines. (File photo)
Gary Schlesinger, ParCare’s CEO, was quoted as saying that people who are “healthcare workers, are over 60 or have underlying conditions” can register online to receive a vaccine.
That differs from state guidelines, which allow only front-line healthcare workers, or nursing home staff and residents, to receive the first batch of vaccines.
“We take this very seriously and DOH will assist state police in a criminal investigation into this matter,” Zucker said in the statement.
“Anyone who knowingly participated in this scheme will be liable to the full extent of the law.”
Representatives for ParCare did not immediately respond to a request for comment sent on Saturday (local time).
– Bloomberg News
