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COVID-19 Vaccines Are Here ~ Scams Will Follow Close Behind

California Health Advocates > COVID-19 > COVID-19 Vaccines Are Here ~ Scams Will Follow Close Behind

Posted by Karen Fletcher on January 4, 2021

Photo of nurse holding the Covid-19 Vaccine

COVID-19 vaccines are here and distribution around the country has started. The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), an independent group of experts convened by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advised that health care workers, other first responders and residents of long-term care facilities receive the first available doses. Yet how these will be distributed is still being worked out. As more vaccines become available, more people we be able to receive them and the ACIP will continue to update their recommendations. The vaccines are being shipped to federal- and state-approved locations, with each state making their own plans on how to distribute them.

While we await the final details regarding how and when to receive a COVID-19 vaccine, it’s important to keep several things in mind to avoid any vaccine-related scams:

  • You likely will not need to pay anything out of pocket to get the vaccine during this public health emergency.
  • You can’t pay to put your name on a list to get the vaccine.
  • You can’t pay to get early access to the vaccine.
  • No one from a vaccine distribution site or health care payer, like a private insurance company, will call you asking for your Social Security number or your credit card or bank account information to sign you up to get the vaccine.
  • Beware of providers offering other products, treatments, or medicines to prevent the virus. Check with your health care provider before paying for or receiving any COVID-19-related treatment.

If you get a call, text, email — or someone at your door — claiming they can get you early access to the vaccine, STOP. This is a scam. Report it to our California Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP) at 1-855-613-7080.

See, download and share our new fraud alert with tips to avoid vaccine scams. Available in English, Spanish, Chinese, Korean, Tagalog, Vietnamese, Russian, Armenian and Farsi.

Filed Under: COVID-19, Fraud & Abuse

Previous Post: « No Cuts to Medicaid ~ Submit Your Comments to HHS
Next Post: Learn What’s in the Recent COVID Relief Package »

About Karen Fletcher

Our blogger Karen J. Fletcher is CHA's publications consultant. She provides technical expertise, writing and research on Medicare, health disparities and other health care issues. With a Masters in Public Health from UC Berkeley, she serves in health advocacy as a trainer and consultant. See her current articles.

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