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In San Mateo County, 70 ineligible people were vaccinated.
Healthcare provider One Medical has been barred from rolling out the vaccine in five counties in California after ineligible patients crossed the line to get the coveted vaccine.
Vaccine allocations have been halted in San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Marin and Alameda counties for the San Francisco-based national health care provider following complaints that people younger than age 65-year-old state vaccine eligibility limit, lined up for the rare shots.
A doctor confirmed to ABC News on Wednesday that they had fired several clinical staff for their “intentional breach” of eligibility requirements.
With vaccine eligibility requirements varying from state to state, loose reinforcement, and a limited number of vaccines shipped to states, skipping the COVID-19 vaccine line has become a national problem.
One Medical is a membership-based primary care provider with locations across the country and charges an annual fee of $ 199. The company offers a technology-driven medical experience with virtual video tours and a mobile app for scheduling appointments.
In San Mateo County, 70 ineligible people were vaccinated at One Medical premises, an investigation uncovered following a complaint on Feb.5, officials told ABC News. The county subsequently terminated its contract with One Medical, calling the actions “disappointing.”
Officials in Marin, Santa Clara and Alameda County did not report how many ineligible patients were able to be inoculated at One Medical centers in their county, but all of them stopped sending further dose allocations.
San Francisco officials did not disclose how many ineligible people received the vaccine, but said in a statement that “a number of doses” were given to people under the age of 65 who falsely tested themselves. identified as “phase 1a health workers”.
The San Francisco Department of Public Health said it would allow One Medical to give second doses to pre-scheduled patients, but the remaining 1,600 doses sent to the provider must be returned. A doctor told ABC News those doses had to be returned because other areas had a higher priority for doses, not because of “eligibility application procedures.”
However, there have been complaints about the line break at One Medical facilities across the country, including in Washington state and Los Angeles County, National Public Radio reported.
Some people who cut the line included those with ties to business leaders, NPR reported, citing leaked internal communications.
A spokesperson for One Medical told ABC News that they have “many checkpoints in place” and “routinely remove people who do not meet the eligibility criteria” and have a “policy of zero tolerance “for preferential vaccination treatment of ineligible persons.
“We support our policy that no ineligible employee, member or affiliate will be intentionally given the opportunity to jump the line,” the spokesperson said.
The spokesperson said their data shows less than 1% of doses were given to people outside of current eligible groups and were inoculated to use additional doses at the end of the day.
The problem sparked negative reactions among locals.
“It’s really disheartening to hear,” Andrew Levy, a current member of One Medical, told ABC’s local affiliate, KGO. “I have elderly parents who have a hard time getting vaccinated … I think it’s unfortunate when they try to cheat.”
One Medical said the issue of people skipping the line is not unique to their business and that there is currently no known ongoing investigation into the matter.
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