At least one pharmacy in Westchester has been charging patients $20 for their Covid vaccines, which are legally free to all.
Westchester County Executive George Latimer announced earlier this week that the county government had begun to research whether pharmacies have been charging for vaccines in northern Westchester.
On Thursday, NBC 4 New York confirmed that at least one local pharmacy in the county has been charging $20 to recipients of the vaccine. The pharmacy was not named by the county or NBC.
Latimer made it clear that the county would investigate and put a stop to the illegal sales.
“We”™re going to investigate it and do it quickly,” he said. “We need to send a message — you don”™t take this pandemic and try to make money off of it.”
Those who were charged for the vaccines are encouraged to notify county or state officials, or to report the instances to the U.S. Inspector General.
“The Covid-19 Vaccine is provided at 100% no cost to recipients,” the Westchester County Government wrote in a tweet on Thursday. “Individuals aware of any potential violations are encouraged to report them to the Office of the Inspector General, U.S. Dept. of Health & Human Services, at 1-800-HHS-TIPS or the TIPS.HHS.GOV.”
So far, over 250,000 people in Westchester have been fully vaccinated, while over 390,000 — roughly 40% of the county’s population — have received at least one dose.
