For months and months—almost a year even!—we have all been holding out for the COVID-19 vaccine to bring some relief and normalcy back into the world. Now that it’s here, some people will do just about anything to get their chance of getting it—even impersonate an older person!
The COVID-19 is hard to come by if you don’t qualify. Right now, the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida is only accepting people aged 65 and older for appointments.
That’s why two local women—ages 34 and 44—decided to disguise themselves as older and lie about their age so that they could potentially get a second dose of the vaccine. They also came with cards from the CDC stating that they’ve already gotten their first dose of the vaccine and were in need of the second.
They were turned away when officials realized the birth dates they provided didn’t match what was recorded in the registry.
“We realized a couple of young ladies came dressed up as grannies to get vaccinated for the second time,” said Dr. Raul Pino, the director of the Florida Department of Health in Orange County. “I don’t know how they escaped for the first time, but they came vaccinated. The bonnets, the gloves, the glasses, and they were probably in their 20s.”
The women were issued trespassing warnings and were turned away from getting their second dose.
Learn more about the incident for attempting to get the vaccine in the video below!
This isn’t the first time officials caught someone lying about their age to get the vaccine. Officials in the same area recently caught a man trying to use his father’s ID instead of his own trying to get in for the immunization.
Additionally, there was an incident where a wealthy couple from Vancouver, Canada chartered a private plane to a very small town of 100 people pretending to be resident motel workers. They were attempting to get the COVID-19 vaccine, receiving doses intended for vulnerable Indigenous elders.
It makes sense that the vaccine is so desired by many. Data shows that the Pfizer vaccine Is highly effective—by as much as 85%–after just the first dose.
What would you do for your chance to get a dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, if you’re not eligible already? Have you already gotten it or plan to get it when it becomes available to you?