The city was prepared to administer the first and second doses of 1,500 coronavirus vaccine at a place to walk and walk in a parking lot near Pasadena City College. It would have been the city’s largest vaccination effort to date.
City officials announced its cancellation on Tuesday because a record number of people who are not yet eligible to receive the shots used the link to make an appointment.
“Unfortunately, someone shared it in the entertainment, production or media industries and it spread like wildfire to others,” said Lisa Derderian, the city’s public information officer.
“In one hour, we had over 900 registrations. None of them qualified at this current level. They did not live or work in Pasadena. Some had addresses an hour away,” she added.
The city says it does not have enough staff to call all 900 ineligible people and instead decided to cancel the event.
Pasadena uses state-provided registration software. Officials say it has been a challenge to find a system to prevent fraudsters from gaining access.
California officials explain how COVID-19 vaccine codes have been shared, misused
They urge people not to share vaccine codes and links, as it has now led to vaccination delays for qualified adults.
“Get away from those who are eligible and can’t go any further now. These elderly people and the other workers we need to get vaccinated so they can go on and (for) more openings next week,” Derderian said. .
No new date has been set, but officials hope to reschedule very soon.
Efforts by people to “get on 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 have been working on issues of getting what should have been secure registration codes to make appointments at vaccine clinics reserved for certain people.
groups of residents.
The problem was highlighted when Governor Gavin Newsom made an appearance at a public housing complex in the county, where a vaccination clinic was set up for low-income residents in the neighborhood, using a dedicated programming registration code. Many people who showed up at the clinic with appointments lived outside the area, but had managed to get the code, preventing actual residents from making appointments.
City News Service contributed to this report.
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