Hollywood line-cutters cause shutdown at Pasadena vaccination clinic

Pasadena officials on Tuesday canceled a COVID-19 vaccination clinic for the elderly and essential workers after hundreds of Hollywood types snatched up the majority of appointments.

“It has come to our attention that a registration link for this Thursday’s Pasadena Public Health Covid-19 vaccination clinic was shared with a large group of entertainment, news and production individuals,” the California city said in a tweeted statement Tuesday.

“This group is NOT currently eligible to receive vaccine according to state criteria, which was also outlined in the verbiage attached to the registration link,” the statement continued. “Due to the complexity of confirming legitimate, vaccine-eligible registrants in the system, our health department is forced to reschedule Thursday’s vaccination clinic.”

City spokeswoman Lisa Derderian told The Los Angeles Times, which first reported the story, that members of the entertainment and media industries claimed about 900 of the 1,500 slots at a clinic that were designated for Pasadena residents who are older than 65, food and agriculture workers, childcare and K-12 workers, healthcare workers and residents and staff of long-term care facilities.

The city became aware that the registration link was emailed to the wrong people after a Los Angeles Times reporter was sent one and alerted officials.

“Hundreds signed up within the first hour,” Ms. Derderian told The Times. “It was like rapid fire.”

The city decided to postpone the clinic, but a new date has not been confirmed.

“We would have hundreds of people showing up who would not have qualified, and they would have been turned away,” Ms. Derderian said. “I’m sure the situation would have escalated in many cases.”

“We do check for ID,” she added. “We will turn you away if you don’t meet the current tier, if you don’t live in town or work in town. Our health officer will not risk her credentials or the health department’s licensing or the city’s reputation. We are very strict in adhering to the guidelines.”

Ms. Derderian said the news has upset many senior citizens who have been waiting to get an appointment. She hopes the clinic will be rescheduled as soon as next week.

The city currently uses CalVax to schedule COVID-19 vaccinations, but is reportedly considering switching to California’s MyTurn website in hopes of streamlining the verification process.