A Brooklyn health care company said Sunday it had proactively returned its remaining subjects COVID-19 amid a criminal investigation into allegations that the doses were fraudulently obtained and diverted.
In a prepared statement, ParCare Community Health Network also insisted that all proper procedures be followed to obtain the Moderna vaccines, and was approved to administer the shots by both the Department of Health and the Federal Centers for Disease Control and – prevention.
The company said it “provided the NYS DOH with the documentation regarding the proper receipt of the vaccines.”
“In an effort to fully cooperate with NYS DOH, ParCare has proactively returned its vaccinations pending the department’s investigation,” the statement said.
“We are confident that the end result of the review will show that ParCare has made the best efforts at all times to meet all NYS DOH requirements, and will enable us to continue to achieve our key goal of: provide these critical vaccines to the New Yorkers who need them most. “
A company spokesman said ParCare administered 869 doses of 2,300 doses through a mandate from the DOH, handing over the rest to the state.
A copy of the package provided to The Post shows that the vaccines were shipped directly to ParCare in Monroe, NY, from a McKesson Pharmaceutical Stock Warehouse in Shepherdsville, Ky.
The Moderna vaccine is designed to be administered in two doses, 28 days apart.
ParCare said: “We will do everything in our power to ensure that the state understands that our patients have our priority and that everyone receives their second dose accordingly.”
State Health Department commissioner Howard Zucker said on Saturday that New York police are investigating allegations that ParCare ‘fraudulently obtained COVID-19 vaccine, transmitted it in other parts of the state in violation of state guidelines and that redirected to members. of the public. ”
Zucker’s statement states that the investigation involved ParCare’s clinic in Orange County, which is one of six he operates.
The others are in Brooklyn and Manhattan.
New York State guidelines call for the first round of vaccinations to go to health care workers and residents of long-term care facilities.
Gary Schlesinger, CEO of ParCare, reportedly told the website of BoroPark24 that the company is giving shots to people who are a health worker, older than 60 or have underlying conditions. ‘
A photo that has since been removed on Twitter, posted by the Rabbinical Alliance of America on Tuesday, showed Schlesinger himself receiving one of the most coveted shots.
The state DOH did not immediately return a request for comment.
Additional reporting by Bernadette Hogan