Caroline Johnson, MD, deputy health commissioner of Philadelphia's health department, resigned Jan. 31 over her involvement with two COVID-19 vaccine vendors, one of which the city terminated its partnership with over concerns of possible sales of users' information, WHYY reports.
Philadelphia ended its partnership with Philly Fighting COVID, the organization overseeing its largest COVID-19 vaccination site, after learning Jan. 25 that the group has become for-profit and updated its data privacy policy, which could let the organization sell users' data through its preregistration website.
Philly Fighting COVID updated its privacy policy online Jan. 25 and said it will not sell data to any third parties.
Dr. Johnson is believed to have given Philly Fighting COVID and another vaccine vendor, the Black Doctors COVID-19 Consortium, information that was "not available to all potential applications" for a request proposal, Philadelphia Department of Public Health communications director James Garrow told WHYY in a statement Jan. 30.
The city had been requesting proposals from vendors who could manage a vaccination clinic if Philadelphia provided them with vaccine doses. Philly Fighting COVID had been among one of the first vendors to open a vaccination clinic through the program.
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