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Misspelled 'Maderna' on fake vaccination card spoils a Hawaii vacation

"She probably chose Maderna because she knew she couldn't spell Fizur," quips one Twitter user.

Abrar Al-Heeti Technology Reporter
Abrar Al-Heeti is a technology reporter for CNET, with an interest in phones, streaming, internet trends, entertainment, pop culture and digital accessibility. She's also worked for CNET's video, culture and news teams. She graduated with bachelor's and master's degrees in journalism from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Though Illinois is home, she now loves San Francisco -- steep inclines and all.
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Abrar Al-Heeti
2 min read
COVID-19 vaccine card
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It's a really bad idea to fake your COVID-19 vaccination card. And it becomes ridiculous when you fail to spell-check the name of the vaccine you supposedly got. 

A 24-year-old Illinois woman learned that the hard way after she was caught entering Hawaii with an allegedly fake COVID-19 vaccine card, according to a Tuesday report from Hawaii News Now. What tipped off authorities? Well, the publication said court documents allege the woman misspelled "Moderna" as "Maderna." Arrested at Daniel K. Inouye International Airport in Oahu over the weekend, the woman could face up to a year in jail and a $5,000 fine.

Twitter has been having a field day with the embarrassing gaffe, with the term "Maderna" trending on the site on Wednesday. 

Kauai County Prosecuting Attorney Justin Kollar tweeted: "'Maderna' - that's what we in law enforcement call 'a clue.'"

Plenty of users drew a link between the vaccine misspelling and a certain famous singer.

"Maderna is literally what my Grandma Dorothy called Madonna in the 80s," writer Tara Dublin tweeted.

"When you accidentally buy Maderna tickets," someone else joked.

"Exprass Yourself is my favorite Maderna song," one tweet reads.

Another fan favorite: "'Vague' is definitely Maderna's best song."

Others made jokes about a knockoff vaccine being available at discount stores. "Now offering Maderna vaccine," one tweet says, alongside an image of Dollar Tree.

Another says, "Maderna is the Kirkland of vaccines."

There are also plenty of jokes about actor Tyler Perry's Madea character. "'I told that child to write Maderna and she wrote it just the way I said it,'" one teases.

"When I saw Maderna trending, I thought there was a new movie announced," someone else remarked.

As for the vaccine she chose to go with, one Twitter user quipped, "She probably chose Maderna because she knew she couldn't spell Fizur."

Another tweet poked fun at he woman's confidence, writing, "No ragrets."

And yet another person noted that this hitherto unknown shot apparently doesn't protect you from certain dangers. "Maderna does not vaccinate you against becoming a national joke."