San Francisco cuts off COVID vaccine doses to One Medical for vaccinating ineligible sufferers: report

Three counties in the San Francisco Bay Area suspended deliveries of COVID-19 vaccines to One Medical offices after the private health care provider allowed unauthorized people to queue for vaccines, the San Francisco Chronicle reported on Wednesday.

According to the Chronicle, San Francisco, San Mateo, and Alameda counties have stopped shipping doses of vaccine to One Medical and are aiming to return more than 1,600 doses. NBC Bay Area later confirmed the report.

The San Francisco Department of Public Health was investigating complaints that the company was administering vaccines to individuals who did not meet the state’s early eligibility criteria, the report said, and the company’s response suggested that individuals were indeed ineligible before their time had been vaccinated.

California only vaccinated people over 65, as well as health care workers and other important people. Early supply shortages forced some local health officials to limit vaccinations to those over 75 or health workers.

In a letter to One Medical executives, the San Francisco Health Department requested the immediate return of 1,600 doses of vaccine because they were unable to verify the eligibility of some vaccine recipients. The cans had been reserved for “other uses,” the letter said, which had not been approved by the health department. The company was allowed to keep enough doses to give a second shot to those who had already received an injection.

Officials from the San Mateo and Alameda counties also found discrepancies, the Chronicle reported, and canceled their assignments.

NPR reported Wednesday that One Medical disregarded local regulations by causing people in several states to cut the limit on vaccinations, including employees who did not interact with the public. Forbes reported similar claims earlier this month.

In a statement to MarketWatch, One Medical said, “Any allegation that we generally and knowingly disregard regulatory compliance guidelines directly contradicts our actual approach to vaccine delivery.

“The recent media coverage of One Medical perpetuates dangerous public misunderstandings about our COVID-19 vaccine protocols and, more importantly, has built on our corporate values ​​in our efforts to work with health officials across the country to deliver COVID-19 vaccines Asked a question. While this type of reporting is discouraging for our team members who have worked tirelessly nights and weekends on the complexities and challenges of introducing the vaccine, we remain determined to serve our communities and hope this report continues our ability to do so do not handicapped. this vital work, ”the company said, adding that 96% of those vaccinated had proof of eligibility and the other 4% were“ vaccinated according to zero waste protocols ”.

One Medical is a member-based health clinic with offices in 12 major markets and works with more than 7,000 companies. In November, One Medical reported more than 511,000 members.

Shares in One Medical parent company 1Life Healthcare Inc. ONEM, + 2.35%, fell more than 4% on Wednesday. After going public in January 2020, stocks are up 126% over the past 12 months, compared to the S&P 500’s SPX, + 0.75% 26%.