Photographer: Eric Lee / Bloomberg
Photographer: Eric Lee / Bloomberg
A health care provider in New York may have fraudulently obtained Covid-19 vaccines and diverted them to the public in violation of priority guidelines, the state government said Saturday.
New York State Police has launched a criminal investigation into the case, which could be the first scandal related to the distribution of vaccines.
The State Department of Health is aware of reports that ParCare Community Health Network, a health care provider with a clinic in the state of 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 the public, ”said health commissioner Howard Zucker in a statement.
ParCare’s website shows it has six locations, including four in Brooklyn, New York, he says the patients are “mainly Orthodox Hasidic Jews, Hispanics, and African Americans.”
A hyperlocal Orthodox Jewish news site, BoroPark 24, published one story on December 21, stating that ParCare is a shipment of Moderna Inc.’s vaccines, and showed boxes of vaccines in what looked like a refrigerator. It also had what appeared to be a copy of a ParCare ad detailing the availability of “The Newest Healthcare Revolution!” on a “first come, first served” basis.
Gary Schlesinger, ParCare’s Chief Executive Officer, was quoted as saying that people who are “health professionals, over 60 or have underlying conditions” can register online to receive a vaccine.
That’s different from state guidelines, which allow only primary health 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 found to have knowingly participated in this plan will be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law.”
ParCare representatives did not immediately respond to a request for comment sent on Saturday.