They Weren’t 65, But They Tried To Get A COVID Vaccine. Here’s How They Got Caught

Some people can’t wait their turn to get the COVID vaccine, including two women in Florida that tried to dupe workers into thinking that they were older than 65 in order to get vaccinated.

The women, who were both younger than 45, dressed up as if they were two elderly “grannies,” complete with bonnets, gloves, and glasses to get the COVID vaccine on Wednesday, according to WKMG, a CBS affiliate out of Orlando.

Florida is currently administering the COVID vaccine to those that are 65 and older. It has not yet announced a roll-out of shots to the general public.

According to Dr. Paul Pino, director of the Florida Department of Health in Orange County, the disguises were attributed to a growing demand for the vaccine in the area, The Washington Post reported.

He said during a news briefing on Thursday about the incident, “This is the hottest commodity that is out there right now, so we have to be very careful.”

The women were trying to get their second dose of the vaccine. It is unclear if they previously dressed up as elderly women to obtain their first dose of the shot. According to the Post, the women both had Centers for Disease Control and Prevention vaccination cards that indicated that they had received their first doses of the vaccine.

Pino said he did not know how the women could have been previously vaccinated but said workers at the Orange Country Convention Center vaccination site noticed a discrepancy in the birthdates listed on their driver’s licenses. The women were 44 and 34 years old, WKMG said.

Both women were issued trespass warnings, according to the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, WKMG reported. Charges were not filed against the women.

Despite their efforts, the women didn’t receive the second dose of the COVID vaccine.

Security at the convention center has been increased as a result of the incident, Kent Donahue, a spokesman for the health department, told the Post.

This is not the first incident in Florida of residents trying to dupe workers to get the COVID vaccine. According to Pino, a man who had the same name as his elderly father also tried to get the shot.

“We haven’t had any lack of willing arms to get vaccinated,” Pino said. “We have people faking to be old to get vaccinated.”

Florida has administered more than 2.5 million first doses of the COVID vaccine, according to data compiled by the Post. Orange Country has vaccinated more than 200,000 people, said Pino.