Amanda Kloots says criticism about her receiving COVID-19 vaccine 'boggles my mind'
Amanda Kloots was surprised at the hate she received over the weekend after sharing on social media that she had received the first dose of the coronavirus vaccination, she said Monday on The Talk.
"The post that I posted did get some shame," the co-host said at the top of the show. "It got a lot of positivity but also got a lot of shame. And I’m not gonna even focus on that shame cause I don’t spend time in my life focusing on negativity, but this post got a lot of shame. The shame got press. That press turned into conversation. That conversation turned into awareness. And then that awareness created a positivity. That is how I roll and that is how I live my life."
California, where Kloots lives, is officially vaccinating only those 65 and older and essential workers. So people accused her of using her celebrity status to skip the line. However, she explained that she simply joined two friends in waiting around at the end of the day at a local vaccination site to see if there were any unused doses. Different sites have differing rules about how this works.
"I received so many DMs from people, saying ‘I did not know that you could go wait to see if people didn’t show up for appointments to get this vaccine. I did not know that they throw out vaccines at the end of the day if people don’t show up for their appointment. I did not know that you could get on a waiting list and get possibly called if somebody didn’t show up for an appointment. I didn’t know that this vaccine has a shelf life, that it would be thrown in the trash if it isn’t used," Kloots said. "So that awareness around this topic, I mean, it’s such a beautiful thing, and if my post had to get some shame in order to bring that awareness, I’m happy that that happened.”
Kloots said she also received messages from doctors, nurses and other healthcare workers confirming the stories about unused vaccines. So it surprised her that some people were up in arms.
"It just boggles my mind that anyone would rather see the vaccine go to waste than go into an arm," she said.
Kloots's husband, Broadway actor Nick Cordero, died of complications from COVID-19 on July 5, 2020. He was just 41. Since Cordero first fell ill in March, she regularly shared updates on her husband's health, including major lung damage and the amputation of his right leg. Kloots, who's a fitness trainer, would dance and sing to Cordero's song "Live Your Life" every day at 3 p.m. while he was in the hospital.
So the pandemic has profoundly affected her and Elvis, her now 20-month-old baby boy with Cordero. Her son was with her during her vaccination.
“I chose to bring Elvis because this has been a journey for me, and Elvis is my family," she said. "And I was like, I want him here. If this happens tonight, I want him by my side.”
Immediately after receiving the shot, Kloots "got chills and started crying."
She first responded to the criticism Saturday.
"We took a chance, like I said, and anyone can try — and the fact that there was some backlash, took away this beautiful and emotional moment for me," she told People. "Vaccine shaming should not be happening especially when you are waiting in line and that it would otherwise have been thrown out."
She stressed that, as far as she's concerned, every arm the vaccine goes into is a good thing.
"We should not be shaming anyone who gets this vaccine that will help America get back on track," she told the magazine.
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