A SoulCycle instructor has come under fire after receiving the COVID-19 vaccine.
According to screenshots captured by The Daily Beast, fitness coach Stacey Griffith initially took to Instagram and documented her journey in getting the coveted jab.
"VACCINE DAY!" she reportedly wrote. "Step one of the Moderna magic!! One hour drive to STATEN ISLAND worth every minute! It takes a village."
She later told The Daily Beast that her role as an "educator" made her eligible for the vaccination in New York City. "Having me vaccinated can stop the short spread within groups!" she claimed to the outlet. "I function as a common point for many overlapping people. 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. I can only teach to them if I am healthy myself."
As it turns out, the Internet wasn't impressed with her explanation. In fact, the 52-year-old instructor received so much criticism that she issued an apology on social media.
"I want to apologize from the bottom of my heart for my recent action in receiving the vaccine," Stacey wrote on Instagram on Monday, Feb. 1. "I made a terrible error in judgment and for that I am truly sorry."
According to the New York City Health Department, those currently eligible for the vaccine are "people ages 65 and older; teachers, school staff, in-person college instructors and child care workers; correction staff; first responders; public transit workers; public-facing grocery store workers; [and] people working and living in group homeless shelters and other group settings."
Stacey's actions resulted in so much publicity that New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio addressed the situation in a press conference.
"I don't think someone who shows up and says, 'Hey, I'm a SoulCycle instructor,' should have qualified unless there's some other factor there," he shared in a press conference via People. "That should have been caught in the application process."
As seen on Instagram, Stacey has worked with Hollywood stars like Oprah Winfrey and Neil Patrick Harris throughout her fitness career.
As for SoulCycle's reaction to the news, they spoke out in a statement to The Daily Beast. "Stacey Griffith operated in a personal capacity in applying for a NY State COVID-19 vaccine," the statement read. "SoulCycle plays no role in organizing or obtaining vaccinations for instructors or other employees nor do we encourage any of our SoulCycle employees to seek vaccine priority as educators."