Sanitation Workers Suspended For Alleged Fake Vaccines: Reports

NEW YORK, NY — New York City’s Department of Investigation is examining whether dozens of city sanitation workers submitted falsified vaccination cards to satisfy the city’s public worker vaccination mandate, numerous outlets report.

The employees allegedly submitted real CVS cards stating they had received the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine. Further investigation showed that CVS had not administered the J&J vaccine since May, according to ABC News. The cards all came from the same CVS locations in southern Brooklyn and Staten Island, and were distributed to several different sanitation garages.

At least 50 sanitation workers were suspended, and as many as 150 might have been involved, department sources told the New York Post. The accused workers have been suspended without pay for up to three weeks, according to an anonymous city official. The NYC Sanitation Department is coordinating with the DOI to investigate the situation, ABC7 News reported.

"These are very concerning allegations and we take them very seriously," said Sanitation Department spokesperson Joshua Goodman. "Getting vaccinated is important to public health, and we do not tolerate anyone faking something that is a requirement of city employment."

Goodman also said that “anyone we find has submitted a fraudulent vaccination card will be suspended without pay.” In New York state, submitting a false vaccination card could be classified as Second Degree Forgery and Second Degree Criminal Possession of Forgery, and it could result in arrest, according to the Crotty Saland law firm.

FDNY workers are also accused of falsifying records, according to the New York Post. Some FDNY employees have allegedly stolen and sold blank cards from the agency’s headquarters. No suspensions or arrests of FDNY workers have been reported. An FDNY spokesperson has declined to comment, but a department insider told the Post that “there’s a lot of people in trouble.”

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio’s mandate resulted in the unpaid suspension of 9,000 cityworkers, according to the New York Times. Sanitation workers also slowed down their work in protest, while some FDNY members called out sick ahead of the mandate implementation, the Post reports.

Despite wide resistance, vaccination rates have risen. As of Thursday night, 87% of city sanitation workers, 86% of firefighters, and 92% of EMS workers have been vaccinated, according to City Hall. On a single day in October, the number of vaccinated sanitation workers rose nine percentage points, according to the New York Times.