Georgetown University says some medical students jumped the vaccine line

Vaccine ‘line jumper’ problems

Many of us are anxious about when we'll be next in line to get the coronavirus vaccine but several people are turning to dishonesty or even committing crimes to get what can be a lifesaving shot.

WASHINGTON (FOX 5 DC) - Georgetown University revealed Tuesday that several medical students who should not have been eligible for the vaccine in the current phase got it early.

The university did not release much specific information about the incident or how many medical students improperly got the vaccine, but said the students face disciplinary action.

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Some medical students, those in their third and fourth years that interact with patients, are eligible. But students earlier on in their career are not.

In a statement to FOX 5, Georgetown University said:

"While third and fourth year Georgetown medical students are eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine because they are interfacing with patients, we recently learned that other Georgetown University medical school students, who are not working in the health care setting, received a COVID-19 vaccine. Neither Georgetown University nor MedStar Health/MedStar Georgetown University Hospital authorized the vaccine for these students. We’ve taken the necessary steps to ensure this is avoided in the future.

These actions run contrary to Georgetown’s values as a Jesuit institution, teaching our students to be in service to others.
Consistent with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), we do not comment on individual student matters. The School of Medicine takes violations of professionalism extremely seriously and will be taking appropriate action as outlined in its Code of Professionalism in the Student Handbook."