(Reuters) – New York State Health officials said Saturday they are investigating a Brooklyn-based health care provider on suspicion of violating state guidelines for the distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine.
ParCare Community Health Network “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 the public – in violation of the state’s plan to prevent it. Administer first to primary health care workers, as well as nursing home residents and staffers, ”state health commissioner Howard Zucker said in a statement.
“We are taking this very seriously and DOH will assist state police in the criminal investigation of this matter,” he added.
ParCare said it is working with the state authorities. In a statement, the company said it strived to “provide critical health care and administer COVID-19 vaccinations to those qualified to receive them under New York State Department of Health guidelines, including primary care workers and first responders. “
It posted photos of the Moderna vaccine on its Facebook page on Tuesday, saying its centers received the treatments that morning, five days after it posted that it was “authorized to distribute the vaccine” to people meeting certain criteria. met.
“A LITTLE INJECTION CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE FOR THE ENTIRE COMMUNITY!” it said.
Reporting by Sabahatjahan Contractor in Bengaluru; Editing by William Mallard