The coronavirus vaccine is so coveted that two women in Florida went to extreme lengths on Wednesday to be inoculated: they dressed like they were elderly, health officials said.
The women, both under the age of 45, wore caps, gloves and glasses to disguise themselves over 65, the age cut to be prioritized for getting the COVID-19 vaccine in Florida, according to Raul Pino, director of health department in Orange County. He attributed the mistake to the growing interest in the vaccine.
“This is the hottest commodity that exists at the moment, so we have to be very careful,” Pino said at a news conference on Thursday.
Geriatric disguise is the latest case of people trying to cut the line to get vaccinated against the deadly virus. Last month, authorities identified a wealthy Canadian couple who impersonated residents in a remote indigenous community to take doses for the elderly.
Meanwhile, an Indiana health department issued a warning earlier this month against what they called “a substantial lack of morality” after people lied to vaccination facility officials about their addresses, jobs and ages.
Florida’s women’s attire may have worked before – both had the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention card indicating that they had received their first doses. Pino said he did not know how they could have been vaccinated earlier, but on Wednesday, workers at the Orange County Convention Center site realized.
As soon as the local staff noticed the discrepancy with their birthdays listed on their driver’s licenses, the women, aged 44 and 34, were referred to deputies, who issued break-in notices against them, said the Orange County Sheriff’s Office .
The women did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Thursday night.
They failed to get the second shot, and security at the scene was tightened after the incident, said Kent Donahue, a health department spokesman.
Pino said there were “few” cases of people who tried to induce health workers to be vaccinated, including a man who had the same name as his elderly father.
“As we are involved in this process trying to act quickly, some people can squeeze themselves out, so it’s probably higher than we suspect,” he said of the number of people who can lie to be vaccinated.
Asked if it was frustrating for him that the two women skipped the line, Pino said it was not up to him to determine who would be next in line, referring to the priority scale established by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, a Republican .
“Our job as a health department is to vaccinate as many people as possible,” he said.
Mr. DeSantis was criticized this week after he unveiled a “pop-up” clinic that offers vaccines in a wealthy neighborhood, mainly whites in Manatee County.
The state received 3.4 million doses and administered more than 2.5 million first doses, according to data compiled by The Post.
Orange County has vaccinated more than 200,000 people, Pino said, adding that the county is increasing its ability to keep up with the community’s desire.
“It is great to see this demand,” he said. “There was no lack of weapons ready to be vaccinated … we have people who pretend to be old to be vaccinated.”