Two women have been caught trying to get the seniors’ special on COVID-19 vaccines in Florida, where health officials say the pair dressed as “grannies” in order to beat the age rules in the state.
Florida is prioritizing health-care workers and people 65 and older for the vaccine, but two women in their 30s and 40s somehow got their first dose and were on the verge of getting their second, according to Dr. Raul Pino, head of the Florida Department of Health in Orange County.
“We realized a couple of young ladies came dressed up as grannies to get vaccinated for the second time,” Pino said at a news conference on Thursday, according to ABC News.
The two-faced twosome showed up at a vaccination site wearing bonnets, gloves and glasses to make themselves look older, Pino said Thursday. Their ID cards indicated that they’d already received their first vaccine shots, but they were denied second shots due to irregularities with their drivers’ licences.
It’s unclear whether they used the same granny disguises to get their first shots.
“I don’t know how they escaped the first time,” Pino said.
Olga Monroy-Ramirez, 44, and Martha Vivian Monroy, 34, were let off with warnings about trespassing, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office said.
The unusual caper shows the lengths to which some people will go to get the coronavirus vaccines, which are in short supply in Florida, he said.
“This is the hottest commodity that is out there right now,” Pino said. “We have to be very careful with the funds and the resources that we are provided.”
He added that it’s unclear how many people have successfully skipped the line to get a shot, but it’s likely “higher than we suspect.”