A California vaccination clinic was forced to cancel appointments after hundreds of ineligible Hollywood and media people signed up for appointments

• Hundreds of ineligible Californians nabbed vaccine slots meant for the elderly and essential workers.
• As a result, the Pasadena clinic was forced to cancel all appointments, according to The LA Times.
• A spokeswoman for the city told the outlet many of the ineligible people worked in Hollywood and media.

Hundreds of overeager Californians exploited a technological flaw to sign up for COVID-19 vaccines before their turn, resulting in hundreds of elderly residents and essential workers losing their chance at the shot as well.

Health officials in Pasadena were forced to cancel a vaccine clinic scheduled for Thursday after hundreds of residents not yet eligible for the vaccine booked a majority of available appointments meant for senior citizens and essential workers, according to the Los Angeles Times.

California is currently vaccinating all healthcare workers and long-term care residents, as well as individuals 65 and older, and some essential workers - including food workers, educators, and emergency services workers - as supplies allow.

But that didn't stop ineligible residents from claiming nearly two-thirds - about 900 out of 1,500 - of the available spots meant for senior citizens and essential workers who live and work in Pasadena.

The drive-through and walk-up site would have been the city's largest vaccination effort to date, according to local TV station KABC.

Many of those who nabbed a coveted spot reportedly work in Hollywood or the media.

Lisa Derderian, a spokeswoman for the city, told the LA Times that workers from production companies, streaming TV services, news outlets, and soap operas, many of whom don't live or work in Pasadena, signed up for appointments at the clinic.

"Unfortunately, somebody shared [the registration link] that was in the entertainment, production or media industry and it spread like wildfire to others," Derderian told KABC.

Ineligible residents were able to snag a spot thanks to the state's vaccine sign-up site, CalVax, which doesn't allow health departments or clinics to use ZIP codes in order to limit registrations. That means people who aren't actually eligible at a specific site or in general can still sign up for an appointment and fill out a registration form.

Last week, officials at the Pasadena Department of Health sent out an email to senior citizens and essential workers in the area who had requested vaccine information alerting them to a vaccination opportunity at Pasadena City College for which they could book an appointment.

The email said patients would be required to present proof that they were eligible for the shot under the state's current guidelines as well as proof that they lived or worked in the city, according to the LA Times. Also included in the email was a registration link through CalVax and slots for five days.

Despite a message in red letters at the bottom of the email asking recipients not to share the registration link, the link spread quickly.

When a Los Angeles Times reporter received a link to sign up for one of the appointments on Monday, she contacted the city to see if it was legitimate. When officials opened the registration system, they found hundreds of non-eligible Hollywood and media workers had claimed spots.

"Thank goodness because if she hadn't called me, if that hadn't happened, we'd have 900 people potentially showing up and we would've had to throw them all out," Derderian told Pasadena Star-News. "That could've turned confrontation real quick."

The spokeswoman told KNBC the call from the reporter was the only one the city received alerting them to the mishap.

An unnamed entertainment employee told the outlet that many in the industry believed they had suddenly become eligible for the vaccine when they received the link and were able to successfully register for an appointment.

The Pasadena health department typically tries to screen recipients prior to their appointment - calling everyone who lists an address outside the city to confirm they work in the city and reminding them to bring a pay stub or proof of employment to their appointment. But calling 900 people in only a few days to either confirm their eligibility or ask them not to come wasn't possible, Derderian told multiple news outlets.

"We would have hundreds of people showing up who would not have qualified, and they would have been turned away," Derderian told the outlet. "I'm sure the situation would have escalated in many cases."

Instead, the city decided to reschedule, though no new date has been set yet.

The clinic's cancellation was particularly disappointing for older Californians who were eagerly awaiting their shots, Derderian told the LA Times. Some reportedly even cried.