Good Samaritan Hospital in San Jose is no longer getting new allocations of vaccine after Santa Clara County officials discovered it offered shots to school district workers ahead of schedule.
Hospital officials said they were only trying to make sure that 65 leftover doses were used up before they went bad.
The superintendent of the Los Gatos Union School District sent out an email last week telling workers the hospital was offering them shots, but they had to register as if they were a healthcare worker. Santa Clara County Counsel James Williams said presenting yourself as something you are not is against the law.
"That system relies on people being truthful. That’s why perjury is a crime…there were a lot of factors there that were very concerning to us."
Williams said the offer goes against the state’s directions on vaccine eligibility.
The county notified the hospital that it will only get additional doses if it provides the county with a concrete plan to ensure that eligibility rules are followed.
Eligible people who got their first shots at the hospital will still be able to get the second dose.
Currently only healthcare workers, first responders, seniors and those living in long term care facilities are the only ones eligible to get the vaccine.
School district leaders said they didn't see it as cutting in line.
"There was no cheating," said Daniel Snyder, who sits on the school district board. "The provider Good Samaritan was crystal clear, they knew what they were doing, they made this available."
The news comes as California looks to shift from a job-based vaccine rollout to one dictated by age, which experts think is less complex and will be easier and faster to implement.
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