TAMPA, Fla. — With the eligibility age lowered to 60 on Monday, the rush was on at local vaccination sites. So, it might not have been the easiest day to score any leftover or excess vaccine.
But, increasingly, people who don’t yet meet the vaccine requirements are using technology, social media, or even just camping out hoping to get a COVID-19 shot.
Is that ethical--or is it cutting the line?
“You will be turned away,” said Kevin Watler, spokesman for the Florida Department of Health in Hillsborough County.
Watler says they are seeing it more often. People who don’t yet qualify for the COVID vaccine are looking for leftovers, hoping for doses that at the end of the day might have gone to waste.
If they exist, Watler says those shots are, “not given to those who are not eligible and just waiting around. That is going to be given and prioritized to those that are working the site or given to those who are assisting one of their loved ones to get the vaccine.”
You can spot the vaccine hunters pretty easily at drive-up sites like the Greyhound Track location in Tampa.
A big red “X” gets painted on the windshield of those who were told, "not today."
But some pharmacy operators say between canceled appointments and no-shows there could be leftovers, and they don’t want to see it go to waste either.
“As soon as we mix a vial the clock starts to tick on that vial and all doses within are only good for six hours,” said drug store operator Jason Briscoe. “So, if it’s 8:30 p.m. and we don’t have additional scheduled appointments, we’re going to be working our standby list for those that might be in the neighborhood.”
Some “lurkers” as they’ve been called, are turning to websites that pair names with providers who have leftover doses. Others spread the word on social media, or some just wait it out.
That’s created some debate about whether people are being resourceful or cutting in line.
“I absolutely believe that the requirement, ethically, is never waste a shot,” said medical ethicist Dr. Arthur Kaplan.
Kaplan says the question should be less about who is getting the vaccine and why there isn’t a more coordinated effort to avoid wasting it.
“Where is the county? Where is the city? Where is government?” Kaplan said. “Why aren’t we doing this in an organized way by the public sector?”
“I just don’t see it going in that direction,” Watler said.
That’s because Watler believes by the time government agencies are able to coordinate with vaccine providers and set up a registry, the vaccine should be widely available.
If you don’t qualify at this time, they ask that you stay out of the lines to keep the process moving more smoothly for those who do.
“You know, we get a lot of criticism from people saying hey we waited so long. Well, one of the reasons you waited so long is because you probably had a lot of people showing up that weren’t supposed to be coming,” Watler said. “And so we have to work together.”
The Florida Department of Health in Hillsborough County predicts vaccines will be available for any adult who wants one before the summer.
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