A Brooklyn-based healthcare company said Sunday that it “proactively returned” the remaining COVID-19 vaccines amid a criminal investigation into the allegations that were obtained and fraudulently diverted doses.
In a prepared statement, ParCare Community Health Network also insisted that it followed all proper procedures for obtaining Modern vaccines and was approved to administer the vaccines by both the state Department of Health and the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. diseases.
The company said it “provided documentation regarding proper receipt of vaccines to the New York Department of Medicine.”
“In an effort to fully cooperate with NY DOH, ParCare has proactively returned its vaccines pending the Department’s review,” according to the statement.
“We are confident that the end result of this review will demonstrate that ParCare did its best to meet all of New York’s DOH requirements and allow us to continue to achieve our number one goal of providing these critical vaccines to New Yorkers who need them. month “.
The Modern vaccine is designed to be given in two separate doses at 28 days.
ParCare said, “We will do everything in our power to make sure the state understands that our patients are our priority and that everyone gets their second dose accordingly.”
On Saturday, state Department of Health commissioner Howard Zucker said New York State police are investigating allegations that ParCare “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 members of the public. “
Zucker’s statement said the investigation involved the ParCare clinic in Orange County, which is one of six it operates.
The others are in Brooklyn and Manhattan, and a report posted last week on the BoroPark24 website indicated that 3,500 vaccines had been distributed at the company’s various sites.
A city official said Sunday he had not dispensed any vaccine to ParCare.
New York State guidelines call for the first round of vaccines to be targeted at front-line health workers and long-term care center residents.
According to reports, ParCare CEO Gary Schlesinger told BoroPark24 that the company was shooting people who “were already healthcare workers, are over 60 years old or have underlying conditions.”
A photo taken since then on Twitter, posted Tuesday by the Rabbinical Alliance of America, showed Schlesinger himself receiving one of the much-desired shots.
The state DOH did not immediately return any request for comment.
Additional reports by Bernadette Hogan