A diagram of the COVID-19 vaccine.
New York State Attorney General Letitia James said Monday (28) that the COVID-19 vaccine is not currently available to the general public in New York, and she warned New Yorkers to beware of vaccine-related scams such as text messages, phone calls, emails or online platforms, and not to give out personal information or pay for it freely.
According to federal guidelines, New York State is currently prioritizing the vaccine for residents and staff in long-term care facilities and other health care workers, followed by workers in certain essential industries, and finally the general public, starting with those at highest risk of infection, such as seniors over 65 years of age or those with underlying conditions such as cancer or heart disease. New York State has not yet announced a schedule for vaccine distribution to the general population other than those mentioned above.
We must remain vigilant to potential fraud and ensure that New Yorkers are aware of the latest information regarding the COVID-19 vaccine,” said Jen Leixia. At this time, there is no authorization to give the vaccine to all New Yorkers.”
The Office of the Attorney General (OAG) warns against trusting information sent by phone, email, text message or online platform that offers the COVID-19 vaccine, which may pose as officials from agencies such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) or the World Health Organization (WHO), falsely claiming to be able to deliver the vaccine directly to homes, provide the vaccine or clinical trials through special pipelines, or sell special refrigeration equipment to hold the vaccine.
To prevent New Yorkers from falling into the vaccine scam trap, the Attorney General’s Office offers some precautions: First, beware of emails claiming to provide vaccinations, and do not disclose your social security number, credit card or bank account information. This is because vaccine distributors, health care companies or private insurance companies will not ask for this.
Second, outbreaks are public health emergencies, so if people have health insurance, they do not have to pay for the vaccine; if not, vaccine providers may only charge for administering it. However, people are usually not required to pay this fee. People do not have to pay any fees when they receive vaccines or undergo clinical trials of vaccines.
In addition, if you receive an email about a vaccine or clinical trial, please check the sender’s email domain name to make sure it matches the website of the organization that sent the email; do not click on any hyperlinks or provide any login names or other personal information.
Zhan Leixia reminded that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has now approved two COVID-19 vaccines, Pfizer (Pfizer/ BioNTech) and Moderna, for emergency use. The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are authorized for use in people over the age of 16 and 18, respectively.
If people have questions about the vaccines or clinical trials, they should consult with a licensed health care provider, according to Zhan Leixia. For the latest information on COVID-19 vaccine approval and distribution in New York, visit: covid19vaccine.health.ny.gov, or call the New York State COVID-19 hotline at 888-364-3065.
Jen Lakha encourages the public to report any suspicious incidents related to vaccines or if they have been subjected to fraud by visiting the Attorney General’s Office website: ag.ny.gov/complaint-forms.
Recent Comments