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Pasadena officials on Tuesday canceled a COVID-19 vaccination clinic for seniors, grocery store workers and other essential workers after hundreds of people who were not eligible for vaccines signed up for Appointment.
People who have not yet qualified for the vaccine according to state guidelines have claimed about 900 of 1,500 locations in a clinic designed for people over 65 and essential workers who live or work in Pasadena, a city spokeswoman Lisa Derderian said.
Many of the dates were booked by people who worked in the news media and in Hollywood, Derderian said, including at production companies, streaming TV services, news outlets and on sets. of soap operas.
“Hundreds of people signed up within the first hour,” Derderian said. “It was like rapid fire.
Last week, the Pasadena Public Health Department emailed healthcare workers, seniors, educators, teachers, and food workers who had previously expressed interest in the vaccine, their saying they could make appointments at a Pasadena City College clinic.
The email told workers that they would be required to show proof that they worked in an eligible industry and lived or worked in Pasadena. The email also included a registration link to California’s vaccination appointment system, CalVax, and provided slots for five days, including Thursday.
On Monday, a Los Angeles Times reporter who had received a link to sign up for a date called the city, Derderian said. Officials opened up the registration system and found that hundreds of people with jobs in Hollywood and the media had demanded spots available, she said.
The registration link for Thursday’s immunization clinic had spread like wildfire. A warning in red letters failed to keep the links private.
The CalVax website does not allow health departments or immunization clinics to limit registrations to people who live or work in certain zip codes. This means that people who are not eligible for vaccines, or who are not eligible at a particular site, can still complete registration forms and get an appointment.
The Pasadena Health Department is trying to improve its screening process by contacting everyone who lists an out of town address on the registration form, Derderian said. Many are restaurant and grocery store workers who are eligible for photos and travel to town for work, she said. Officials remind them to bring a pay stub, letter from their employer, or some other form of documentation stating that they work within city limits.
Calling 900 people in a few days to verify their eligibility or ask them not to come was just too much, Derderian said. The city has decided to postpone the clinic. No new date has been confirmed.
“We would have hundreds of people who did not qualify and were turned down,” Derderian said. “I’m sure the situation would have worsened in many cases.”
She added: “We are checking IDs. We will refuse you if you do not reach the current level, if you do not live in the city or do not work in the city. Our health officer will not risk his credentials or the license of the health department or the reputation of the city. We are very strict in following the guidelines. “
The clinic’s cancellation was particularly difficult news for older people who had struggled to secure appointments and had been largely isolated from the world for a year, Derderian said. Some cried when they learned their dates had been moved, she said.
Local officials complained that the state’s technology for making and managing vaccine appointments is flawed and does not allow them to easily book vaccine appointments for people living in communities. where infection rates are high and vaccination rates are low.
The problems in Pasadena reflected a situation in Los Angeles County in which registration codes intended to book vaccination appointments for residents of communities hard hit by COVID-19 ended up in the hands of more privileged Angelenos. , including private school teachers and Hollywood workers, such as The Times has already reported.
Officials said the region is due to receive its largest a week’s share of COVID-19 vaccines to date – a welcome boost, if perhaps short-lived, that will enable tens of thousands of Angelenos more to receive their first vaccine.
The expected total transport swell this week of around 312,000 doses is a substantial shipment from the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, which federal drug regulators recently cleared for emergency use. Officials hope the single-dose vaccine will help speed up inoculation rates across the country.
LA County expects to receive 53,700 doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine this week.
Los Angeles city officials have said they plan to give 88,000 injections this week and most of them – nearly 68,000 – will be first doses. This week’s benefit, however, could be a failure, at least in the short term, with the rollout of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine was slowed down by production problems.
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