In San Mateo County, 70 ineligible people were vaccinated.
Healthcare provider One Medical has been cut off from vaccine rollouts in five California counties after ineligible patients jumped over the line to receive the coveted injection.
Vaccination allocations were discontinued in San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Marin and Alameda counties for the San Francisco-based national healthcare provider after complaints that people under the age of 65 have taken a head start on shots.
One Medical confirmed to ABC News on Wednesday that they have terminated several clinical staffers for their “willful disregard” of eligibility requirements.
With vaccine eligibility requirements differing from state to state, loose reinforcement and a limited number of vaccines being shipped to states, skipping the COVID-19 vaccine line has become a national issue.
One Medical is a membership-based primary care provider with locations across the country and charges an annual fee of $ 199. The company offers a tech-focused medical experience with virtual video visits and a mobile app to schedule appointments.
In San Mateo County, 70 ineligible people were vaccinated at One Medical locations, an investigation found after a Feb. 5 complaint, officials told ABC News. The province subsequently terminated the contract with One Medical, calling the actions “disappointing”.
Marin, Santa Clara and Alameda County officials have not said how many ineligible patients may have been vaccinated at the One Medical centers in their counties, but they have all stopped sending further dose allocations.
San Francisco officials have not disclosed how many ineligible people have received the vaccine, but said in a statement that “a number of doses” were given to people under the age of 65 who falsely identified themselves as “Phase 1a health workers.”
The San Francisco Department of Public Health said they will allow One Medical to administer second doses to pre-scheduled patients, but the remaining 1,600 doses sent to the health care provider must be returned. A Medical told ABC News that those doses had to be returned because other regions had higher priority for the doses, not because of “ eligibility enforcement procedures. ”
However, there are complaints of line skipping at One Medical locations across the country, including in Washington State and Los Angeles County, National Public Radio reported.
Some of the people cutting the line included those with connections to business leaders, NPR reported, citing leaked internal communications.
A One Medical spokesperson told ABC News that they “have numerous checkpoints” and “routinely dismiss people who do not meet the entry criteria” and that they have a “zero tolerance policy” for preferential vaccination treatment for people who do not qualify.
“We support our policy that ineligible employees, members or business associates are intentionally given the opportunity to jump the line,” said the spokesman.
The spokesperson said their records show that less than 1% of the doses were given to people outside of the current eligible groups and were vaccinated to take additional doses at the end of the day.
The issue has led to backlash among the locals.
“It’s really disheartening to hear,” Andrew Levy, a current member of One Medical, told local ABC affiliate KGO. “I have elderly parents who are struggling to get the vaccine … I am sorry when they try to cheat.”
One Medical said the line skipping issue is not unique to their business and there are currently no known ongoing investigations into the matter.