Golden State Warriors receive COVID-19 vaccine before most California residents

Players on the NBA’s Golden State Warriors team received coronavirus vaccinations over three weeks before California residents were able to receive them.

The team stated on Thursday that an undisclosed number of players and coaches were given early access to the vaccine, according to a report NBC News.

“The players and coaches who received the vaccine were eligible under the most recent state and CDC guidelines,” Warriors Senior Vice President Raymond Ridder told the news outlet.

Ridder said that he could not divulge what qualified the Warriors to receive the vaccinations.

“To elaborate more would be a violation of privacy/HIPAA rules,” he said.

The Warriors join NBA teams such as the Atlanta Hawks, Portland Trailblazers and New Orleans Pelicans who have all announced that they have gotten vaccinated, according to NBC News.

However, many Americans in certain states across the nation who are at high risk to contract the disease are still having problems securing an appointment for the jab.

“There are plenty of people in California who have chronic illness, who have disabilities, who have barriers to vaccination, who are still waiting to get vaccinated,” Nancy Berlinger, a bioethicist at the Hastings Center, a research institute in Garrison, N.Y., told NBC News.

“Since it’s happened, since the team said this happened, they should be transparent about how they got access,” she added.

California has currently vaccinated most of the population that is 65 and older and will open vaccinations to people 50 and older on April 1. The state is set to vaccinate anyone who is 16 or older beginning on April 15.

Vaccinations are also open to California residents who have medical conditions such as kidney and heart disease, obesity, Type 2 diabetes, Down syndrome and cancer, as well as those who work in high-risk jobs.