Hollywood brokers are offering doctors $ 10,000 in bribes to skip California’s vaccination lines to get the coronavirus early.
One of the best medical practices in Beverly Hills claims to have received dozens of offers from individuals – including entertainment stars – who are desperate to be vaccinated.
The situation is so dire that one senior executive described it as the ‘Hunger Games’ as the rich and famous ‘fight for their lives’ to get over and bypass California’s sluggish vaccination.
According to reports, rich and celebrities have gone to great lengths to skip the line with private and boutique doctors, concierge health services, private flights to Florida for vaccination tourism.
Dr. Robert Huizenga, who is based in Beverly Hills, known as the actor’s doctor Charlie Sheen, told Variety that his practice is offered more than $ 10,000 by the elite who are desperate for the jab.
According to Dr. Robert Huizenga in Beverly Hills, known as the actor’s doctor Charlie Sheen, his practice is said to be offered more than $ 10,000 by the elite who are desperate for the jab.
The rich and famous in Los Angeles, California, are now using every trick up their sleeve to get vaccinated while millions of ordinary Californians await their turn.
“We were offered bribes,” he said. ‘We see people taking planes to every place. We have seen people from time to time try to get into the health profession or staff at nursing homes so that they are eligible for an early vaccination. ‘
Dr Huizenga announced that celebrities from the entertainment industry are well represented in those who strive for an early place for the vaccine in a ‘fight for their lives’.
“You can not really blame them for stopping everything,” he added. “The state and government have put in place a system that is really awful.”
‘It’s’ The Hunger Games ‘out there,’ said an entertainment chief, on condition of anonymity, about the rush to get the vaccine.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom has been criticized for the slow explosion of the state’s vaccination – California’s obstacles include low – dose websites and an adviser to suspend the use of ten percent of his shots due to concerns about allergic reactions.
Newsom gets criticism over the slow explosion of vaccines in California – the state’s obstacles include low – dose websites and an adviser to suspend the use of ten percent of his shots due to concerns about allergic reactions. In the photo: People queuing while waiting for the vaccine at Disneyland in Anaheim, California
Californians age 65 and older are now eligible for vaccinations, along with health workers, first responders, food and agriculture workers, teachers and school staff.
After these groups, immunization among the general public will be prioritized based on age, Newsom said.
Newsom said California had tripled its rate of vaccine administration, adding that nearly 2.2 million doses out of 4.1 doses had been sent to the state as of Saturday. The goal is to give another 1 million shots over the next ten days.
The governor lifts home orders Monday across the state after seven weeks because the condition in cases experiences a ‘flattening of the curve’.
Governor Gavin Newsom said infection rates and hospital admissions had dropped dramatically
Many are angry because those in Hollywood’s positions of power use their connections while millions of people wait.
“People in these positions must use their power to help and heal the system, and not harm it,” said a former health worker.
“This is bad behavior,” says Dr. Art Caplan, director of the medical ethics department at the NYU School of Medicine. He said he had heard of hospital donors trying to use their power to gain early access to the vaccine.
“We have 91-year-olds waiting and health workers waiting. People who are rich can easily find ways to quarantine, cover and stay isolated for another month or two, and more vaccine will be available. ‘
But some Hollywood celebrities are pictured waiting for their vaccinations.
Star Trek legend Sir Patrick Stewart got the jab after almost waiting in a queue in his car four hours in a drive-by vaccination clinic at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.
Meanwhile, former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, 73, armed himself against the coronavirus last week when he received his first dose of vaccine in Los Angeles after waiting for a transit.
The news comes when exclusive medical practices in California in December revealed that the elite are making significant donations to hospitals and charities in the hopes of being vaccinated early.
Wealthy Californians hope to be offered early access to a coronavirus vaccine to make donations to hospitals. In the photo: an emergency medicine worker receives a vaccine
Physician Jeff Toll said one of his clients offered to make a five-figure donation to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, one of the first hospitals in the state to receive vaccinations.
“Donating $ 25,000 to Cedars would help me get in line?” the customer allegedly asked.
“We get hundreds of calls every day,” Ehsan Ali, who runs the Beverly Hills Concierge Doctor, told The Los Angeles Times.
He charges between $ 2,000 and $ 10,000 a year for personal care and counts Ariana Grande and Justin Bieber among his clients.
“This is the first time I have not been able to get something for my patients,” he added.
Yet the doctors were all forced to say ‘no’ despite the plague, as the state keeps strict restrictions on who receives the first batch of vaccine.
The graph shows the rapid increase in infections in California at the end of November to December. The increase is attributed to what researchers say is a homemade strain of the coronavirus
In California, more than 3.1 million cases were reported and 36,790 people died. More than 18,000 people have died in the state in less than three months
According to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 19.3 million people received at least one dose of Covid-19 vaccine, while about 3.3 million people were fully vaccinated by Monday.
The United States as a whole has also seen a decline in newly reported COVID-19 cases and hospital admissions over the past two weeks following a disturbing increase in infections at the end of the year.
In parts of California, Texas and other states, the intensive care units in the hospital filled emergency rooms, ambulance bays and morgues to overflowing.
The newly improved prospects for California came nonetheless when the country surpassed the ominous milestone of 25 million known infections, with nearly 419,000 American lives lost due to the pandemic.
Home-stay restrictions in California, one of the most stringent restrictions on business and social life imposed across the state, were raised in early December when available space in hospital needs reached maximum capacity.
Governor Gavin Newsom said infection rates and admissions to hospitals in California, the most populous U.S. state with 40 million residents, have declined dramatically since then, and projections show that available ICU capacity will climb well above the minimum thresholds in the next month. .
“But we are not out of the woods,” Newsom added, insisting on continued requirements for wearing a mask and social distance until collective immunity can be achieved through vaccinations.
According to the home rules lifted Monday, residents were largely to stay indoors and avoid traveling around the clock unless necessary for permissible activities such as groceries, medical appointments, individual outdoor exercises and dog walks.
These restrictions were lifted Monday for Southern California, the San Francisco Bay Area and the largely agricultural San Joaquin Valley. The greater Sacramento area was excused from the order two weeks ago, and the extreme Northern California region was never below it.
The governor stressed that most of the state’s minor restrictions imposed in November apply – a night clock at all indoor social gatherings and non-essential outdoor activities from 10pm to 5pm