The coronavirus vaccine finally arrived in New York, but only a select group of people at risk were supposed to receive it in the first round.
© Kathy Willens / Associated Press
Many of ParCare’s patients are Orthodox Jews, a population hard hit by the virus, and the clinics have worked with the city on efforts to locate contact.
These restrictions did not deter others from trying to get the vaccine, including unauthorized health workers at some hospitals. Now the state is investigating whether a network of health clinics in New York provided vaccinations to members of the public who were not members of state-prioritized groups – the most dangerous health workers and residents and nursing homes.
Howard Zucker, a New York State health commissioner, on Saturday announced an investigation into the clinics, which he said had ‘fraudulently obtained Covid-19 vaccine, transmitted it to other parts of the state in conflict with state guidelines and redirect them to members of the public. ”
“We take this very seriously, and DOH will assist the state police in a criminal investigation into this matter,” he said.
The clinics are run by ParCare Community Health Network, located in Brooklyn, Manhattan and Kiryas Joel, a town northwest of the city. The investigation was first reported by The New York Post on Saturday.
Many of ParCare’s patients are Orthodox Jews, a population severely affected by the virus, and the clinics have worked with the city to provide free coronavirus tests in largely Orthodox neighborhoods.
ParCare tweeted a photo of an older rabbi who received the vaccine from his Twitter account, and the Rabbinical Alliance of America shared a photo on Twitter it claims to show that ParCare CEO Gary Schlesinger is receiving the vaccine.
The placements have since been removed, but a ParCare representative confirmed that Schlesinger received the vaccine because he works in the clinics every day.
The ParCare representative said in an email that the company followed all procedures of the State Department of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for the acquisition and distribution of the Modern coronavirus vaccine, and that the clinics had its vaccines returned to the department. for the investigation.
He gave a pack slip and an email to the reporter showing that the health department had sent 2,300 doses of the vaccine to ParCare.
He said more than 850 had been administered.
‘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 NYSDOH requirements, and that we will be able to achieve our key objective of delivering these critical vaccines. to provide the New Yorkers who need it. most, ”reads the statement.
Vaccine ads appear on ParCare’s Twitter Feed on Dec. 16, two days after the Pfizer vaccine was first administered in New York. The ad says that ‘the vaccines are being made available on a first-come, first-served basis’, and asked patients to register via a website or scan a QR code.
The ad also states that the Food and Drug Administration authorized ParCare to administer the vaccine, but Andrew M. Cuomo’s government is responsible for distributing the vaccine in the state. Some health clinics in the state have received the vaccine, but it is not yet supposed to administer it to people outside the priority groups.
Members of the Orthodox Jewish community in Brooklyn protested against the government’s restrictions on religious gatherings to reduce the spread of the virus, and footage of overcrowded Orthodox weddings and funerals appeared on social media.
Orthodox Jewish and Catholic institutions have filed a lawsuit against Mr. Cuomo filed a lawsuit that ended in November with a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that the governor’s coronavirus restrictions on the size of religious services violated the protection of the First Amendment’s religious freedom.
At the time, Mr. Cuomo said the ruling “has no practical effect” because coronavirus cases have decreased in many of the areas where the rules were in force. Now that the rate of positive test results in New York is reaching levels not seen since the spring, the decision may be more relevant.
Read more