Gov. Hochul Makes the Creation of Fake Vaccination Cards A Felony

By Yehudit Garmaise

In a set of new laws that aim to improve the lives of New Yorkers, Gov. Kathy Hochul made the creation of fake vaccination cards a felony today, a week after two NYPD supervisors, Lieutenant Joseph Marcella and Captain Desmond Morales, were suspected of submitting counterfeit cards.

The Internal Affairs Bureau is investigating the allegations that have been lodged against Marcella and Morales, who have been placed on “modified duty” and had their guns and shields taken away, NYPD officials said.

“These new laws will help us improve our response to the pandemic now, crack down on fraudulent use of vaccination records, and help us better understand the areas of improvement we need to make to our health care system so we can be even more prepared down the road,” Gov. Hochul said.

In addition to the criminalization of the falsification of vaccination records, Gov. Hochul’s legislation requires the state’s Department of Health to allow New York schools to quickly access the state's database that lists the immunization records of their students: a process that now takes hours.

Gov. Hochul has also directed New York Health Commissioner Mary Bassett, MD, to conduct a study of the delivery of ambulatory care in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, so she can make informed recommendations to improve the delivery, quality, accessibility, and costs of the full range of ambulatory health care services that communities require.

In addition, to create businesses opportunities for New Yorkers who are minorities and live in low-income areas, the governor directed the state’s Department of Financial Services to study how the pandemic affected their abilities to get loans.

“I am encouraged that Gov. Hochul has signed my bill into law, which will shine a light on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in unbanked and underbanked communities,” said Assemblymember Khaleel Anderson, who sponsored the bill. “Banking is an essential tool for promoting financial health for residents and increasing access to capital for small businesses.”