In May, the Department of Justice (DOJ) unveiled the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to combat the spread of pandemic-related fraud. Part of this includes preventing the spread of falsified COVID-19 vaccination cards.
In July, the DOJ reported that a California-licensed doctor was falsifying vaccine cards, claiming that patients received the Modern vaccine. And, as I covered, a group of three Vermont State Troopers were under investigation for a plot to create and distribute fake vaccine cards. Now, reports have surfaced that a group of sanitation workers in a vaccine-mandated city used fake vaccine cards to maintain their employment.
New York City’s Department of Sanitation is investigating allegations that employees used fake Wuhan coronavirus vaccination cards to maintain their employment, NBC News reported Tuesday.
As part of New York City’s vaccine mandate, all city workers are required to be vaccinated against COVID-19 or will be placed on unpaid leave. The city also mandates that citizens present proof of vaccination to enter a slew of indoor establishments, called the “Key to NYC Pass.”
In NBC's email correspondence with the Department of Sanitation’s Assistant Commissioner for Public Affairs Joshua Goodman, he described the allegations as “very concerning” and emphasized the city’s “zero tolerance” stance on the vaccine mandate.
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“These are very concerning allegations and we take them very seriously,” Goodman said to NBC News via email. “Getting vaccinated is important to public health, and we do not tolerate anyone faking something that is a requirement of City employment.”
While he did not say how many employees were being investigated, Goodman also noted that over 87 percent of the department’s 10,000 employees are either fully vaccinated or partially vaccinated. In addition, Goodman told NBC News that anyone found to have a fraudulent vaccine card will be suspended without pay.
In addition to the investigation surrounding fraudulent vaccine cards, a source from the Department of Sanitation reportedly told CBS New York that at least 50 employees claimed they received the one-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine at CVS Pharmacy locations in Brooklyn and Staten Island. However, the locations claimed they were not administering the Johnson & Johnson brand.
NBC News notes that most city workers, including firefighters, police officers, trash haulers, and building inspectors, were given a Nov. 1 deadline for getting the first dose of the coronavirus vaccine.
