Employees of at least two agencies in New York City have been confirmed to be under investigation by the City for vaccination fraud.
This story was first New York Post, It was reported on Saturday that staff from the New York City Fire Department (FDNY) and the health department were accused of submitting a forged vaccination certificate to the mayor of the skirt. Bill De BlasioTask. The New York City Department of Investigation (DOI) confirmed these investigations on Sunday.
The city’s mandatory vaccine requirements for employees take effect November 1. FDNY and the Department of Health are one of these institutions Most resist rule. The main union of firefighters in New York City Uniforms Firefighters Association is not among the 15 unions that have signed the New York City authorization agreement. A week before the authorization took effect, some sanitation workers participated in a slowdown strike in protest.
Although the DOI will not further elaborate on its investigations, postal According to the report, FDNY employees allegedly stole blank cards from the department’s headquarters and other locations that provide COVID-19 vaccine cards. Then, they falsified the vaccination information on the card and submitted it as legal information.
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The outlet claimed to have received a memo from FDNY, warning employees not to do so. According to reports, the fire department also contacted the local 2507 Uniform EMT and the nursing staff union to warn them about disturbing trends.
Health department spokesperson Joshua Goodman told NBC New York These allegations are being investigated in cooperation with DOI.
Goodman said: “These allegations are very worrying, and we take them very seriously-vaccination is important to public health, and we do not tolerate anyone falsifying what is required for urban employment.” “In the past few weeks. Thousands of DSNY employees have stepped up to get vaccinated, and more than 87% of the departments have been vaccinated in whole or in part. Anyone who is found to have a fake vaccine will be suspended without pay.”
Despite these allegations, the vaccination rate within FDNY has risen sharply since the last few days before authorization. On October 19, the day before New York City Mayor Desi Hao extended New York City’s vaccine requirements to include firefighters, approximately 60% of the department’s personnel were at least partially vaccinated. The latest data from the city now finds that about 87% of the departments got at least one opportunity.
Weekly newspaper Contact FDNY and the health department to comment on this story.
Of the 300,000 urban employees in New York City, approximately 2,600 took unpaid leave due to failure to comply with vaccine regulations. About 12,400 people are seeking some form of rule exemption. After the task takes effect, Fewer than 90 New York Police Department officers Allegedly taking unpaid leave.
