A sign directs drivers to a COVID-19 vaccination center at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida. Orange County health officials said Thursday that two women under 65 were caught dressing up as “grandmas” cut the vaccine line. Paul Hennessy / NurPhoto via Getty Images Hide caption
Toggle labeling
Paul Hennessy / NurPhoto via Getty Images
A sign directs drivers to a COVID-19 vaccination center at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida. Orange County health officials said Thursday that two women under 65 were caught dressing up as “grandmas” cut the vaccine line.
Paul Hennessy / NurPhoto via Getty Images
Two Florida women have dressed up as elderly grandmothers in an unsuccessful attempt to get their second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, officials said Thursday.
Dr. Raul Pino, the director of the Florida Department of Health in Orange County, told reporters that the women at the vaccination site were disguised as “grandmas” on Wednesday – “the hoods, the gloves, the glasses, the whole thing”. He said he wasn’t sure how they managed to get their first doses but noted the high community demand for vaccines.
“There was no shortage of weapons to get vaccinated,” said Pino. “We also have people who pretend to be old in order to get vaccinated.”
The Orange County Sheriff’s office emailed NPR that the women are 34 and 44 years old. Florida is currently prioritize Vaccinations for adults aged 65 and over, medical staff and residents and employees of long-term care facilities.
The dates of birth on their driver’s licenses did not match those they had used to register for the vaccines, although their names did, according to the Sheriff’s Office. Health Department staff urged MPs to issue warnings of abuse and no further law enforcement action has been taken.
The sheriff’s office said they had no further information about the incident.
When asked if there had been other cases of people misrepresenting themselves in order to get vaccinated, Pino said there had been a few, including a man who had the same name as his older father.
“Since we’re involved in this process of trying to move people fast, some people might squeeze in, so it’s probably higher than we suspect,” he said of the exact number.
And when he discovered that vaccines were “the hottest thing,” he said officials increased security on the site to prevent similar incidents from happening in the future.
Other states have also warned against such conspiracies. Andrew Cuomo, Governor of New York, has Legislative proposal That would make it a crime to provide vaccines to people trying to skip the line and officials a county of Indiana Earlier this month, they said up to 30 people lied about their vaccination eligibility in just one weekend, in what they called a “significant lack of morality”.
