A vaccination clinic scheduled for Thursday in Pasadena was rescheduled after a registration link was shared with a large group of people who are not yet eligible for the vaccine, city officials said.
The registration link was sent to a group of people from entertainment, news and production, according to the city. The group is not eligible for vaccinations according to state rules, unless they meet other criteria. Some people who are not residents of Pasadena also received the link, city officials said.
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More than half of the 1,500 consultations for Thursday’s clinic are believed to have been made by ineligible people. Thursday’s clinic was canceled due to the violation, city officials said.
The breach was brought to the attention of the city by a Los Angeles Times reporter who called to ask if the link was legitimate.
“We send it to those in the eligible tiers, but with a big, huge red font – don’t share this link with other people who are not eligible,” said Lisa Derderian, the city’s public information officer. “If there is any doubt, they should make that call like this LA Times reporter did.”
The call was the only one received from someone who questioned the registration link, said Derderian.
Initially, anyone who did not qualify and received the link was advised to cancel the consultation. City officials said Tuesday morning that the clinic was canceled.
Vaccines are available for the following groups listed on the Pasadena health department website.
- Health works providing direct care
- Residents and employees of long-term care institutions
- People aged 65 and over
- Nursery and education staff K-12
- Food and agriculture workers.
“Individuals who tried to get vaccinated before their turn will not receive the vaccine,” the city said in a statement. “Please wait your turn. Unfortunate circumstances like this inhibit our ability to vaccinate residents as quickly as possible. “
Pasadena reported 10,993 cases of coronavirus and 320 deaths related to COVID-19 on Monday.
Attempts to skip the line and get the vaccine have been repeatedly criticized by state and local health officials, but the problem has persisted. Los Angeles County health officials dealt with questions from people who obtained what should be safe registration codes to make appointments at vaccine clinics reserved for selected groups of residents.
The issue was highlighted when Governor Gavin Newsom showed up at a public housing development in the county, where a vaccine clinic was set up for low-income residents of the neighborhood, using a dedicated consultation registration code. Many people who came to the clinic with consultations
lived outside the area, but managed to obtain the code, preventing
residents to make consultations.