Grandmother Disguise Attempting 'Vaccine Queue Jumping'... "Caught Red-Handed"

COVID-19 vaccinations with Moderna are being administered at a church in Tampa, Florida, USA. [AFP=Yonhap News file photo]

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Eun-young] Young women disguised as elderly people to get the COVID-19 vaccine first in the United States were eventually caught.

On the 19th (local time), major foreign media including The New York Times (NYT) reported that two women disguised as grandmothers to receive the vaccine first in Orange County, Florida, were caught by the police.

On the 17th, they appeared at the Orange County vaccination site wearing bonin (a women's head covering), glasses, and gloves.

They also presented a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) card proving they had already received the first dose, claiming they came for the second dose.

However, their 'cutting in line' was ultimately foiled when vaccination site staff noticed errors in their birthdates.

Their actual ages were revealed to be 34 and 44, respectively. In Florida, those aged 65 and older are given priority for vaccination.

The police believe they manipulated their birth years during the vaccination registration process.

A health official said, "I don't know how they were not caught during the first dose," adding, "We need to closely monitor people who use deception."

Meanwhile, Florida is one of the states in the U.S. severely affected by vaccine shortages, and vaccine demand has surged recently due to transportation delays caused by a severe cold wave. Priority vaccination groups include those aged 65 and older, healthcare workers, and people with underlying conditions.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.