Los Angeles’ Wealthy Nabbing Secret Vaccine Appointment Codes From Minority Communities, Says Report

Affluent people in Los Angeles who aren’t yet eligible for the coronavirus vaccine under California state rules have reportedly found a workaround—using secret computer codes given to poorer, largely Black and Latino communities to help them get priority appointments. California has been trying to improve vaccine availability for the hardest-hit communities by giving out special access codes that can be used to book vaccine slots. However, according to the Los Angeles Times, those codes have fallen into the hands of wealthier people working from home in Los Angeles. It’s not known how they gained access to the codes, but the state has been forced to cancel appointments made with some codes after the Times reporters asked about unfair use. According to the Times, people sharing the code appeared to believe it was a pilot scheme open to everyone, and didn’t know they were taking appointments from poorer people. “Nobody thinks they’re doing something wrong,” said one woman, who said she had been sent three different codes.