Selfish jerk couple of the year. (Plot twist: they're Canadian.)

I don't know anyone who isn't a bit anxious about getting their vaccine. If they've had their first shot, they're worried about the second. If they're trying to sign up but are running into brick walls - as is happening to the 75+ cohort that started signing up in Massachusetts the other day - they're anxious about finding a place. If they're in a later cohort - as I am - they're concerned about whether the system will still be underperforming and overwhelmed when it's their turn to register. Everyone worries about supply lagging demand, even with well-delineated cohorts and timing. Everyone worries about whether some oddball, vaccine-resistant variant will spring up and we'll be back to Ground Zero.

The last thing anyone of us need to worry about is the line-jumpers.

Yes, we know they're out there. Non-frontline personnel who work in healthcare and found they could just flash their hospital ID and get in, whether they were eligible or not.  People who knew someone who knew someone who was willing to do a bit of wink-wink-nudge-nudge for them. Wealthy folks managing to get their shots ahead of time by paying a premium at a concierge medical practice, which wouldn't be a problem to me - that's life - if the wealthy folks were in the CDC's recommended group, which is anyone 65 or up. 

But for younger, healthier folks worming their way in, all I can say is that they ought to be ashamed. However they rationalize it, they've taken a shot at immunity away from someone who the epidemic experts are telling us needs and deserves it more than they do. A pox - literally - on their houses.

And then there's the Vancouver couple who just couldn't wait their turn.

Now if Rodney and eKaterina Baker were over 70 years of age, or frontline health workers, or indigenous people, it would be their turn.

But Rodney is only 55, and Ekaterina is only 32. (No comment on trophy wives, but take a look at the picture and let me know what you think.) And Rodney is the just resigned - or is it the just forced out - as CEO of the Great Canadian Gaming Corporation, which runs racetracks and casinos around the country. And Ekaterina is no mere trophy wife, she's an actress who once had a small role in Fatman, a recent Mel Gibson (figures) movie. 

I don't believe that either is a member of an indigenous tribe.

The couple apparently travelled from Vancouver to Whitehorse, before chartering a private plane to Beaver Creek.

It’s alleged they then went to the vaccine clinic in Beaver Creek, where the mobile vaccine team was administering Moderna doses vaccines to the isolated community of around 100 people, including members of the White River First Nation (WRFN).

They then allegedly lied to officials at the clinic and represented themselves “in various ways” according to Community Services Minister John Streicker, whose portfolio includes CEMA [Civil Emergency Measures Act]. At the clinic they claimed to be workers at a local motel, he said. (Source: Yukon News)

At the clinic, that raised a few eyebrows. Apparently there was a wee bit of suspicion that they weren't your average local motel workers.  I wonder why.

Maybe she's just a rarely good actress and coached her hubby on how not to act like a hugely wealthy gaming exec. 

Both the Yukon Government and the leadership of the White River First Nation have expressed outrage over the scheme.

“We are deeply concerned by the actions of individuals who put our Elders and vulnerable people at risk to jump the line for selfish purposes,” said WRFN Chief Angela Demit, in a statement...

Streicker said they put the community at risk by breaking quarantine, disregarding the declaration they signed on their arrival and travelling to the remote community. He also questioned the logic of their deception — wondering how they thought they would receive the second dose. 

Turns out they won't be receiving their second dose until the summer, when their cohort's time comes.

The couple were given small fines, but the authorities may also be giving them a closer look. The Mounties are now on the case. 

Not that he needed the money, but now Rodney Baker's lost his job. Ekaterina Baker could end up with even smaller roles. They could both end up doing some jail time, and will no doubt serve time in the prison of public opinion. Not just in Canada, but around the globe. I first read about this in The Irish Times. The whole world really is watching. 

It seems that Rodney Baker has enough gambling in his blood that he was willing to roll the dice on his ruse. And came up snake eyes. 

I'm glad they were caught. And I'm also a bit relieved that the selfish jerk couple of the year is Canadian, not American. The year, of course, is young, and we could still get back in the game...