UGH.

We all know there are SO many things wrong with our country and the way it is handling the coronavirus pandemic thus far, but this latest story just proves why protocols need to change to ensure the most at-risk in our communities are safe.

On Friday, SoulCycle instructor Stacey Griffith, whose sessions are often attended by high-profile celebrities like Kelly Ripa, proudly announced she had received a COVID-19 vaccine in New York. Followers were quickly frustrated by the way she claimed to be an “educator” in order to jump the line, and for good reason!

According to a screenshot of the now-deleted post captured by The Daily Beast, the 52-year-old fitness influencer shared a pic of herself getting the shot, along with writing:

“VACCINE DAY! Step one of the Moderna magic!! One hour drive to STATEN ISLAND worth every minute! It takes a village.”

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She also tagged a whole bunch of people for “helping me keep my patience when it comes to filling out online forms, sending in paperwork, and keeping my patience.” She concluded the upload:

“Now I can teach @soulcycle with a little more faith that we’re all gonna be ok if we get the !”

If this is all sounding odd to you, it should! In New York, the vaccine is currently only eligible for a select group of people, such as:

“People ages 65 and older; teachers, school staff, in-person college instructors and child care workers; correction staff; first responders; public transit workers; public-facing grocery story workers; [and] people working and living in group homeless shelters and other group settings.”

Yeah… Didn’t see fitness instructor on there, did you? Plus, Stacey is over ten years away from fitting into that 65+ club, too. So, how the heck did she get the vaccine and why was she so adamant that her role at SoulCycle meant she was a legitimate educator?

Also on Friday, a glimpse into her thought-process was shared with The Daily Beast as she said:

“Having me vaccinated can stop the short spread within groups!”

Or, you know, you could just avoid being in group settings until it’s ACTUALLY your turn to get vaccinated… She continued, defending her role as a “teacher”:

“I function as a common point for many overlapping people. In my profession of health and wellness as a teacher, it’s my priority daily to keep my community and their respiratory systems operating at full capacity so they can beat this virus if they are infected by it. I can only teach to them if I am healthy myself.”

Addressing her post earlier in the day, she explained:

“All teachers are eligible to apply for the vaccine. My post today was to show my confidence in the system, in our government, and I hope everyone can at least feel more at ease knowing I went through the process!”

But while she was clearly unaware of the backlash she would face at the time of her statement to the outlet, she is now taking a step back from her overwhelming sense of pride and joy to issue a public apology. The wellness guru wrote on Instagram on Monday:

“I want to apologize from the bottom of my heart for my recent action in receiving the vaccine. I made a terrible error in judgement and for that I am truly sorry.”

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SoulCycle even issued their own statement to make sure outsiders did not think they encouraged any employees to get the vaccine, with their spokesperson elaborating:

“Stacey Griffith operated in a personal capacity in applying for a NY State COVID-19 vaccine.”

Word got all the way up to New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, who discussed the influencer’s vaccine approval over the weekend. In a press conference Sunday, he commented matter-of-factly:

“Doesn’t sound like someone who should’ve gotten vaccinated to me. I don’t think someone who shows up and says, ‘Hey, I’m a SoulCycle instructor,’ should have qualified unless there’s some other factor there. That should have been caught in the application process.”

Not to mention, this news comes after 23,000 people who were scheduled to receive a vaccine were told they no longer could because of short supply. So, you see why so many people were outraged by whatever loophole Stacey used to snag a dose of liquid gold even though she wasn’t eligible.

Thoughts on this, Perezcious readers? We love our fitness instructors, but don’t you think priority should be given to all the essential workers who can’t avoid large groups or who are providing literal life-saving support to others during this trying time? Or maybe you think this was an honest mistake on Stacey’s part? Let us know your reactions to this in the comments (below)!

[Image via Stacey Griffith/Instagram]

The post SoulCycle Instructor Stacey Griffith Apologizes After Claiming She’s An 'Educator' To Get COVID-19 Vaccine Early! appeared first on Perez Hilton.