Pasadena cancels COVID-19 vaccine clinic after hundreds of incompetent people make appointments

PASADENA, California (KABC) – The city of Pasadena was forced to cancel a vaccination clinic for Thursday after hundreds of unsuitable people got hold of a link that allowed them to register for one of the slots.

The city was prepared to administer 1,500 first and second doses of the coronavirus vaccine at a drive-and-run site in a parking structure adjacent to Pasadena City College. This would have been the city’s largest vaccination attempt to date.

City officials announced the cancellation on Tuesday because a record number of people who are not yet eligible to receive the shot used the link to make an appointment.

“Unfortunately, someone shared it in the entertainment, production or media industry and it spread like wildfire to others,” said Lisa Derderian, the city’s public information officer.

“Within an hour, we had more than 900 applications. None of them qualified below this current level. They did not live or work in Pasadena. Some had addresses within an hour away,” she added.

The city says there are not enough staff to call all 900 people who are not eligible and decides to cancel the event.

Pasadena uses state-of-the-art registration software. Officials say it was a challenge to find a system that prevents fraudsters from accessing it.

California officials explain how COVID-19 vaccine codes are shared and abused

They are appealing to individuals not to share vaccine codes and links as this has now led to the vaccination of qualified adults.

“It takes away from those who are eligible and cannot continue now. These senior populations and the other workers need to be vaccinated for us so that they can continue in the next week and (for) more openings,” Derderian said.

A new date has not yet been set, but officials hope to resume soon.

People’s attempts to ‘jump the line’ and get the vaccine before they are eligible have been repeatedly condemned by state and local health officials, but the problem has persisted. Los Angeles County health officials handled cases involving people who had to obtain secure registration codes to make appointments at vaccine clinics reserved for select individuals.
groups of residents.

The issue was highlighted when Gavin Newsom’s government made an appearance in a public housing complex in the province, where a low-income vaccine clinic was set up in the area, using a specific registration registration code. . Many people who came to the clinic with appointments lived outside the area, but managed to obtain the code so that real residents could not make appointments.

City News Service contributed to this report.