Vaccine hunters are becoming a nationwide trend -- people standing in line at a pharmacy or vaccination site, looking for a COVID-19 vaccine shot.
They are not the shots people make appointments for, but leftover doses that if not used, they’d be thrown away.
From San Diego, to the county health center in San Pablo, people -- many way below the age of 75 -- wait to secure a leftover dose.
“No extra vaccines today so we’re a little disappointed but we understand and actually it’s a good sign,” said a vaccine hunter Friday. “It means everyone came to their appointment today and probably those are the most vulnerable people who really need it the most.”
They say they’re not jumping the line, but simply making sure the vaccines don’t expire.
If you don’t want to stand in line, people have come up with ways to track extra doses through “I read countless reports of doses being thrown away because people didn’t show up for their appointment or power cut in the area,” said A.D. of Fremont, who wanted to help make tracking down shots easier. He started a vaccine hunters Facebook group for the Bay Area. People can go there and find places where vaccinations are being given.
“I guess this is just leveling the power of crowdsourcing and making sure vaccines get to people in need,” said A.D.
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Health officials in Contra Costa County are scrambling to make sure people don’t have to wait in line to get a left over shot.
“What the health department is just starting and will roll out more on monday they’re developing a list of individuals by tier and will call them by the end of the day to have them come down,” said Supervisor John Gioia.
That’s what health centers are starting to do all over the Bay Area. In the meantime, people are going the extra mile, to protect themselves and make sure COVID-19 shots don’t go to waste.
