The city was prepared to administer 1,500 first and second doses of the coronavirus vaccine at an access site and walk in a parking lot next to Pasadena City College. It would have been the largest vaccination effort in the city to date.
City officials on Tuesday announced their cancellation because a record number of people who were not yet eligible to receive the shot used that link to make an appointment.
“Unfortunately, someone shared it in the entertainment, production, or media industry and spread it to others,” said Lisa Derderian, the city’s public information manager.
“In one hour, we had over 900 registrations. None of them were classified at this current level. They did not live or work in the city of Pasadena. Some had addresses for more than an hour,” he added.
The city says it does not have enough staff to call the 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 that prevents access to cheaters.
California officials explain how COVID-19 vaccine codes were shared and misused
They urge individuals not to share vaccine codes and links because they have now caused delays in vaccination for qualified adults.
“Eliminate those who are eligible and now can’t move forward. These older populations and the rest of the workers we need to be vaccinated so they can move forward and (to) open more next week,” Derderian said.
No new date has been set, but officials hope to reschedule it soon.
People’s efforts to “jump the line” and get the vaccine before they are eligible have been repeatedly denounced by state and local health officials, although the problem has persisted. Los Angeles County health officials have addressed issues related to people getting what were supposed to be secure registration codes to make appointments at reserved vaccine clinics
resident groups.
The problem became apparent when Governor Gavin Newsom made an appearance at a county public housing complex, where a low-income neighborhood vaccine clinic had been set up, using a registration code. specific appointment. 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 an appointment.
City News Service contributed to this report.
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