A 52-year-old SoulCycle instructor who received her COVID-19 vaccine is receiving a lot of backlash.
Stacey Griffith explained that she received the vaccine in New York City because she is an “educator,” the Daily Beast reports.
The cycling instructor, who has taught classes to Kelly Ripa, Madonna, and many more celebrities, received the shot even though the city faces a shortage of vaccines that are now available for seniors and health officials.
“VACCINE DAY! Step one of the Moderna magic!! One hour drive to STATEN ISLAND worth every minute!” Griffith captioned the since-deleted Instagram post. “It takes a village.”
On Instagram, the instructor has more than 64,000 followers. Shortly after posting, Griffith received comments from fans who said they and their loved ones had been unlucky in trying to schedule a vaccine appointment. She reportedly received one before others with underlying illnesses.
“My wife is a stage 4 cancer patient who has to deal with the fear and risk of going into a hospital cancer center weekly, while immunosuppressed, during COVID, in order to receive the treatment that is keeping her alive,” one user wrote.
Griffith, a senior master instructor at SoulCycle, argued that she is an “educator” and that school teachers are currently eligible for the vaccine in New York.
“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,” she said. “I can only teach to them if I am healthy myself.”
Griffith said that she “had the same opportunity everyone else has by going online and filling out a questionnaire,” and didn’t pay extra money to receive the shot.
“All teachers are eligible to apply for the vaccine,” Griffith said. “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!”
Griffith said she received the vaccine to show everyone how safe it is.
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