As vaccine rollout begins, rich Californians seek ways to get on top of the list
One patient offered $25,000 to get early access to a vaccine produced by Pfizer and BioNTech
The first round of vaccinations for COVID-19 are going out in limited numbers as the U.S. daily death toll reaches new highs, and some Americans are willing to pay top dollar for quicker access to a shot.
In California, 327,000 vaccine doses produced by Pfizer and BioNTech were received earlier this week, and many wealthy residents are propositioning health institutions to cut the line.
According to CNN, most of the vaccine doses sent to California are going to front-line health care workers. However, several doctors are disclosing that they have been receiving money offers from people seeking to get a hold of the inoculations for themselves. Dr. Jeff Toll, a Los Angeles physician, stated that a patient offered Cedars-Sinai Medical Center $25,000 to get access to the vaccine.
Many of Toll’s patients are entertainers and executives.
“I think one of the difficult things is for physicians who take care of these high-power people to be able to say, no you have to wait,” Toll told the outlet. “These people don’t usually have to wait.”
READ MORE: FDA panel endorses Moderna coronavirus vaccine
My Concierge MD, a health facility in Beverly Hills, California has been getting numerous phone calls from wealthy clientele willing to pay any amount to bypass waiting for a dose of the potentially life-saving shot. Dr. Abe Malkin, Concierge MD’s founder, said that some of the patients offer to give a charitable “contribution” in order to “get themselves bumped up in line.”
This eagerness to receive a vaccine is understandable. The death toll from coronavirus is nearing 314,000 in America, with over 22,000 of those coming from California, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University researchers. On Wednesday, the nation had its highest number of virus-related deaths with 3,611. Despite the vaccine’s presence and more in the pipeline, it will take months for the remedies to reach the masses.
READ MORE: Congress to receive 1st doses of coronavirus vaccine
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorized Pfizer’s vaccine for emergency usage on Dec. 11, but the pharmaceutical company has stated that the Trump administration has reduced allocations of the vaccine in several states for next week, as reported by NPR. The FDA on Friday cleared a second COVID-19 vaccine produced by Moderna for emergency use.
In a statement, Pfizer said: “We have millions more doses sitting in our warehouse but, as of now, we have not received any shipment instructions for additional doses.”
Among the states expected to see a cut in vaccine dosage shipments are Connecticut, Georgia, Montana, Michigan and Nevada.
Have you subscribed to theGrio’s podcast “Dear Culture”? Download our newest episodes now!
TheGrio is now on Apple TV, Amazon Fire, and Roku. Download theGrio today!
You Might Like
