And Vaccine Appointments along with PS5s
Twitter users will know Wario64 as a handle that offers great deals on peripherals and games. Its most recent focus was on the availability and restocking of Sony’s next-generation gaming console. Wario64 is now focusing on more important matters, such as finding Covid-19 self-test kits, due to the increasing number of cases.
You may have seen a tweet from Wario64, informing its followers about the BinaxNOW Covid-19 Self Test at Walmart for just $14.
It speaks volumes about the state and condition of global healthcare that a handle dedicated specifically to gaming and tech deals does a better task at finding Covid tests than the government. There were many messages of appreciation and humor in the comments, along with memes and jokes about Wario64’s superior job than those who actually had to do it.
Wario64 Announces COVID Vaccine Availability
WASHINGTON — The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have reached an agreement to announce nationwide availability of COVID-19 vaccine via popular Twitter account Wario64.
“We take vaccine distribution very seriously because we want to reach the most people possible. That means that we have to work with existing systems to get them out as efficiently as possible. At the moment, there’s no better way for people to know about an item’s availability than via Wario64’s twitter account,” Dr. Fauci stated at a press conference. “We expect millions of Americans to have access to the vaccine within the next weeks. Through our partnership with Wario64 we should also be able reach underserved communities like gamers,” Dr. Fauci said.
Recent polling shows that both Democrats and Republicans overwhelmingly praised the decision of the CDC.
One respondent said, “It’s great because I’m trying to grab both the vaccine and the PS5, so it’s tweet notifications and I kill two birds with one stone.” “The only thing that I worry about is mixing gamer culture and vaccine culture. It’s already been quite intense. I’ve seen the Moderna people vs. the Pfizer people in console warshit. The Johnson & Johnson people just want the little vaccine for their kids.
Wario64 responded to a question and said that Donkey Kong country: Tropical Freeze is now available on Amazon for $49.99 for the Nintendo Switch for the next 48 hours.
One Twitter account that has more than one million followers and is known for helping consumers find elusive PlayStation 5 consoles, is now helping to fight covid-19. It points people to difficult-to-find home testing and available vaccination appointments. The account @Wario64 posted earlier this week about the availability of the BinaxNOW Antigen Self Test, as well as links to Amazon. These posts follow a surge in covid-19 cases due to the omicron version. The government and U.S. have been flooded with requests for home tests. The Postal Service is finalizing plans for sending coronavirus kits to U.S. homes to ease the rush.
Wario64 started its Twitter account in 2009 and quickly found great deals on videogames and other gaming-related paraphernalia such as accessories and books. Its name comes from the 1996 Nintendo game Super Mario 64 and Wario, the plumber mascot. Although the account can sometimes be used as a news account, it has been especially useful in recent years for finding online availability of highly sought-after and difficult-to-find gaming products. Wario64 was cited by both The Washington Post and The New York Times as the best utility to find PlayStation 5 consoles online. These consoles are still scarce more than a year later. It is a trusted Twitter service due to its speed and reliability in finding these deals.
Since more than a decade, the identity of this account has been kept secret. The Post reached out to the Wario64 account manager on Thursday. He declined to speak on the record due to a policy not to do interviews with media.
The pivot of the account to combat the pandemic highlights the difficulties in securing vaccine doses or coronavirus testing. Its response to a shortage in coronavirus testing and getting quick tests to the public has been criticized by the federal government. Jen Psaki, White House press secretary, mocked a journalist’s question on whether the government should distribute free tests, even though other countries have their own tests. This was just weeks after President Biden announced his plan to distribute 500,000,000 tests this month. He has not elaborated on it. Tuesday’s White House press secretary Jen Psaki mocked a journalist who asked if the government should give away tests for free, even though other countries have test distributions.
Welcome to the winter season of discontent. Every day, there are more than 500,000 cases of covid-19. There are more than 1000 new deaths each day. The testing sites are often backed up for days, and it is becoming increasingly difficult to obtain the more reliable but less convenient at-home antigen kits. Wario64, the patron saint of gamers who helps them find difficult-to-find PS5s is now sharing links to new rapid inventory.
The gaming mega account with more than one million followers, which was sandwiched between tips about discounted games, and new incoming PS5 stocks, tweeted last night about Walmart’s new inventory for Binax at home test kits. He tweeted again several hours later, “Tests may be restocked in certain regions.” Although it was a small blip on Wario64’s superposting schedule, it highlighted how badly the U.S. has responded to the pandemic nearly two years later.
