American World Series Poker Player Jeff Farnes said he regretted being vaccinated for COVID-19 in a leaked audio recording from 2022.
Farnes’ comments were recorded during day 7 of the 2022 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event, according to the video’s chyron.
“I wish I would have never got the vaccine,” Farnes said on a hot microphone. “I’ve been having chest pains ever since I had that thing.”
World Series Poker player Aaron Duczak caught on hot mic saying ‘I wish I never got the vaccine. I’ve been having chest pains ever since I had that thing.’ pic.twitter.com/NIYHcztpbe
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Canadian poker player Aaron Duczak, who was playing alongside Farnes, asked if he was still experiencing side effects to which Farnes insisted he was.
“They’re saying that it … [clots] the arteries,” Farnes said. “I need to go get it checked out.”
Duczak tells Farnes “that’s horrible” before the American poker player said “it’s been weird” ever since his vaccination.
“I held out till like not even a month ago,” Duczak told Farnes, who asked why the Canadian player decided to seek vaccination.
Duczak responded saying he “wanted to … play the World Series.”
Farnes rebutted the Canadian player’s reasoning by noting the tournament didn’t have a vaccination guideline. However, Duczak cited that COVID-19 border restrictions between the United States and Canada require proof of vaccination.
In September, Canada’s federal government announced all COVID-19 border-related travel restrictions would end by Oct. 1.
“Over the past year, business, tourism, and visitors have all returned to our shores in strong numbers and Canadians are traveling again,” said Minister of Public Health Marco Mendicino in the announcement. “This is great news for the economy, for trade, for jobs, and for personal travel.”
“We’ve always maintained that the extraordinary measures we introduced at our borders and on airplanes, trains and boats were temporary and that we would adjust them as the situation changes. Today we’re doing just that,” said Transport Minister Omar Alghabra. “We’re taking another step to returning to the normal travel that connects families, workers, and our communities.”
In June, the United States announced an end to COVID-19 testing requirements for international travelers following the end of mask-mandates for plane travel and other public transportation in April.
As of Jan. 4, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC’s) order requiring proof of vaccination for non-U.S. citizen non-immigrants to travel to the United States is still in effect.
