Deputy Health Commissioner resigns following ‘Philly Fighting Covid’ and vaccine fracture tests

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The city cut ties with the PFC on Tuesday amid reports that the nonprofit has turned into a for-profit entity. There were also concerns about PFC’s patient data collection and protection practices.

Acting Deputy Health Commissioner Dr Caroline Johnson is said to have given two vendors of Covid-19 vaccines, PFC and the Black Doctors Covid-19 Consortium, information that was “not available to all potential applicants” For a request for proposal, Philadelphia Department of Public Health communications director James Garrow told CNN in a statement on Saturday.

“When presented with this information, Dr Johnson tendered his resignation,” Garrow said. “While these actions may have been intended to help advance the city’s vaccine distribution effort, the health commissioner accepted her resignation in the city’s best interest.”

Johnson’s conduct will also be subject to review by the city’s inspector general, Garrow said.

CNN is reaching out to Johnson and organizations for comment.

PFC, led by 22-year-old CEO Andrei Doroshin, has come under intense scrutiny in recent weeks. The group, which initially billed itself as a nonprofit, won a contract from Philadelphia to provide Covid-19 testing services in August, according to Garrow.

The health department said it learned that PFC canceled its tests in mid-January despite a contract to provide services until January 31.

WHYY, a public news outlet, reported on Jan.20 that the sudden switch from the PFC to a for-profit company to “focus on immunization operations” left some communities and residents of Philadelphia untested without warning.
WHYY later reported on PFC’s updated privacy policy, which Garrow said at the point of sale “could allow the organization to sell data collected through PFC’s pre-registration site,” although the city has no evidence that any data was sold.
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Doroshin denied that PFC ever sold data and said the group was outspoken with the city about its need to move to a for-profit business to keep up with its expansion in resources and people.

Philadelphia announced Tuesday that it will no longer provide vaccines to the PFC. Doroshin blamed the fallout at the city’s feet on Friday.

“The city needs a scapegoat to explain why it botched the vaccination effort,” Doroshin told CNN affiliate KYW. “They probably think they’re embarrassed because a 22-year-old did a better job than them.”

In a statement on the PFC website, before Johnson stepped down, Doroshin also called for the replacement of Philadelphia Health Commissioner Dr Thomas Farley.

“Here is what we should do as a city to beat this terrible disease. First, give Dr Johnson responsibility for this effort,” Doroshin said.

“She’s smart, more than capable, passionate and fearless. She and her team have been great and together we managed to get off the ground. Was it perfect? ​​No, but we don’t have time for it. We are at war. And must learn on the fly. But our results speak for themselves – we vaccinated 6,800 people in 5 days. “

Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney called on the health department to take several corrective actions and produce a report on the failed partnership with the PFC, detailing how it came to work with the group and identifying weaknesses of the verification process.

CNN’s Elizabeth Joseph, Dakin Andone, Laura Ly, Tanika Gray, Patrick Cornell and Samuel Romano contributed to this report.

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