While hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers are waiting to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, an amazing resident secured the coveted blow: a famous fitness trainer and a SoulCycle instructor.
“VACCINE DAY! First step of Modern magic !! An hour’s drive to STAT ISLAND is worth every minute. A village is needed, ”Stacey Griffith, a 52-year-old gym guru who was present He New York News, proudly announced in an deleted Instagram post since then.
But moments after Griffith revealed 64,200 followers to him, he was among the approximately 850,000 New York City residents who had received the first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, and received a furious reaction.
“My wife is a patient with stage 4 cancer who has to deal with the fear and risk of going to a hospital cancer center weekly, while she is immunocompromised during COVID, to receive the treatment that keeps her alive “It’s at least 2-3 months out of being eligible for a vaccine,” said Gabrielle Novacek, a Chicago-based consultant.
“As a caretaker on whom I depend to support him, I have been out for at least 4-5 months. But yes, we celebrate that we are making the world safe for the spin class in person in the midst of a global pandemic. What is left of any respect he had for Soul and the leaders he celebrates is done and gone, ”he added.
Griffith, who earns $ 800 per class, according to a recent Vox story, stated in a text message that her role as an “educator” made her eligible for the coveted COVID-19 vaccine.
“Getting me the vaccine can stop the brief spread within the groups!” Griffith told The Daily Beast. “It works as a common point for many people who overlap. In my health and wellness profession as a teacher, it is my daily priority to keep my community and their respiratory systems at full capacity so that they can beat this virus if they are infected. I can only teach them if I am healthy myself ”.
Griffith added that he “had the same opportunity as everyone else to go online and fill out a questionnaire” and insisted he didn’t get “favors, I didn’t pay anyone money.”
“All teachers can apply for the vaccine. My message today was to show my confidence in the system, in our government, and I hope everyone can feel at least more comfortable knowing that I have gone through the process! ” added.
When asked if all SoulCycle instructors would be eligible for the vaccine, he replied, “Absolutely not.”
According to the New York City Department of Health, the city has entered Phase 1B of the vaccination launch, making health care workers, residents over 65, store workers groceries and specific types of teachers are eligible to hit. Although eligible teachers include those who teach K-12 classes, face-to-face college instructors, and group daycare providers; the list does not include fitness teachers.
“Broadly speaking, it’s hard for us to comment on people because of confidentiality,” a spokesman for the New York City Department of Health told The Daily Beast when asked about Griffith’s puncture on Friday. “I’ll see what I can find out if there’s anything I can say.”
That Griffith was vaccinated in New York, while thousands of teachers, social workers and residents with pre-existing conditions cannot meet an appointment further illustrates the rocky deployment in the Empire State.
Thousands of New York City teachers who meet the requirements for the vaccine have reported that their appointments have been canceled due to supply and scheduling issues. Michael Mulgrew, president of the United Federation of Teachers, told New York Post this week that some 20,000 teachers have requested appointments through the union and another 10,000 have gone through their health care providers. But only a quarter of those 30,000 teachers had received any vaccine.
One of the issues, according to Mulgrew, is that the city has been canceling mass appointments due to a shortage of vaccinations and scheduling problems. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio revealed Wednesday that Moderna’s vaccine delivery had been delayed and that he had asked the federal government for increased shipments and the possibility of using second doses in the first shots. .
“We’ve had to reschedule 23,000 New Yorkers and tell them they won’t be able to get that appointment due to lack of supply,” de Blasio said.
While this slow deployment may mean many eligible people get stuck on waiting lists, it hasn’t exactly closed the door on healthy young Americans, many of whom have used their connections and considerable financial resources to cut the line. and justify it.
The New York Mayor’s office and SoulCycle did not immediately respond to The Daily Beast’s request for comment.
For his part, Griffith said he removed his post after the vitriol became overwhelming.
“I hate controversy,” he told The Daily Beast, adding, “It saddens me that people go so dark and petty, that I really try to do the right thing and be safe.”