Your Healthcare Provider and Pfizer Vaccine Doses: What You Need to Know

NY Healthcare Provider May Have Fraudulently Obtained Vaccine Doses

Provided by CNBC, Pfizer's Covid-19 vaccine is pictured at Rady Children's Hospital before being placed back within the refrigerator in California on December 15, 2020. Doses of the coronavirus vaccine may have been wrongfully obtained and distributed throughout parts of New York, according to the state's top doctor on Saturday.

Dr. Howard Zucker, commissioner for the state's department of health, stated that his office received reports of ParCare Community Health Network "fraudulently" obtaining the vaccine and transferring it to "facilities in other parts of the state." These doses were allegedly diverted for "members of the public," bypassing the state's prioritization for frontline healthcare professionals and residents of long-term care facilities.

New York's initial rollout of the vaccine was still limited to hospitals and nursing homes. On December 16, ParCare offered doses of the vaccine on a "first-come, first-serve basis" through a social media post. The post included a sign-up form for elderly individuals, those at high risk, and people with underlying conditions.

ParCare later shared photos of the Moderna vaccine on Twitter, claiming to have received thousands of doses. In response, the Department of Health launched an investigation, and anyone found to have knowingly participated in this scheme will be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law, according to Dr. Zucker.

ParCare acknowledged the inquiry and pledged full cooperation during the investigation. "During these unprecedented times, we have striven to provide critical healthcare services and administer COVID-19 vaccinations to those qualified to receive them under the New York State Department of Health's guidelines, which includes frontline healthcare workers and first responders," ParCare said in a statement.