Nurse, daughters used fake COVID vaccine cards to work at NY nursing home, officials say
A nurse and her two daughters are facing felony charges after officials accused them of using fake COVID-19 vaccine cards to work at a nursing home in New York.
Vaccination against the virus is a statewide requirement for all healthcare workers.
Poughkeepsie resident Antoinette Clarke, a 48-year-old nurse at a nursing home in the village of Croton-on-Hudson, used a fake vaccine card to keep her job while her daughters sought work at the facility, the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office said in a Jan. 31 news release.
Dzjara Clarke, 27, and Jajvia Clarke, 22, applied to work as nursing assistants at the nursing home and also submitted forged vaccination records to the facility, according to the district attorney.
“Vaccination fraud is a serious crime. It creates a threat to public health and undermines the safety of our healthcare professionals who are working around the clock to get us through the pandemic,” New York State Health Commissioner Dr. Mary T. Bassett said in a statement.
The trio were arraigned on charges of second-degree criminal possession of a forged instrument on Jan. 31, the news release said.
The family is set to appear in Cortlandt Town Court on March 14.
Croton-on-Hudson is north of New York City.
In upstate New York, a couple is accused of using fake COVID-19 vaccine cards to enter a Buffalo Bills football game, McClatchy News reported.
New York residents can “report vaccine-related fraud” to the state health department by calling 833-VAX-SCAM (833-829-7226) or emailing STOPVAXFRAUD@health.ny.gov.
This story was originally published February 1, 2022 at 11:16 AM with the headline "Nurse, daughters used fake COVID vaccine cards to work at NY nursing home, officials say."
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