At a number of Southern California medical concierge practices, doctors say they have received calls from their affluent clients asking if they can get early access to the extremely limited supply of vaccine doses in exchange for a financial contribution to a hospital or charity.
Dr. Jeff Toll, whose internal medicine boutique has privileges at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, said a patient offered to donate $ 25,000 to the hospital in exchange for an early injection of the vaccine. Toll’s practice serves a wealthy clientele, including chief executives and entertainment figures, but the doctor said he is telling his patients to wait, too, as the first round of vaccines is distributed to those most in need of protection.
Earlier this week, California received 327,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine, delivering the first shots to primary care health workers fighting the virus that has caused more than 22,000 deaths statewide since the start of the pandemic.
“I think one of the hard things is that doctors who care for these powerful people can say, no, you have to wait,” said Toll. “These people usually don’t have to wait.”
Find out how many people can get a COVID-19 vaccine before you
Toll said his practice has filed with the State of California to become a vaccine distribution center for its customers and has already purchased special ultra-cold freezers pending storage of vials containing the Pfizer vaccine.
‘They wanted it yesterday’
Dr. David Nazarian, of My Concierge MD in Beverly Hills, said some of his A-list customers are reaching out to him saying money is no object if it helps them get the vaccine early.
“They wanted it yesterday,” Nazarian said. “We will abide by the rules, but are committed to securing and distributing the vaccine when it is available to us.”
Southern California has seen an unprecedented spate of new COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations in recent weeks, with the capacity of intensive-care beds dropping to 0% and health officials issuing dire warnings if the virus continues to spread out of control.
Concierge MD LA founder Dr. Abe Malkin, said he has received more than a hundred phone calls from people trying to access initial doses early.
“I would say 5 to 10 percent of them were willing to contribute to a good cause to get themselves in line,” said Malkin.
Malkin’s practice has also been taken to become a vaccine distributor, but focuses on the new FDA-approved Moderna vaccine, which will be easier to handle because it does not have the same extreme temperature storage requirements as the Pfizer doses.
When it comes down to it, Governor Gavin Newsom has warned that the state “will be very aggressive to ensure that those with resources, those with influence, those who deserve the vaccines most, crowd out.”
“For those who think they can lead the way, and those who think because they have resources, or because they have relationships that allow them to do it. We’re going to be watching that very, very closely,” Newsom said this month.
“We will prioritize, and we will expect everyone in the health care system to be held to the same ethical standard to really prioritize, the ones who need it most. And the real heroes in this pandemic are frontline health workers, and those are the people who we must protect, and we must give priority to moving forward. ”