Los Angeles residents sneak up on the Covid vaccine website in hopes of remaining doses

Douglas didn’t know where to go when he crossed the Inglewood Forum parking lot last week. A 40-year-old Los Angeles resident received hot information from a friend that he had dozens of doses of Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine left at night. Worried that the sky was dim and he might not have the opportunity to promise to be vaccinated for months, he approached the injection tent and asked if he had spares.

Los Angeles immunizes healthcare professionals, first-time responders, and residents aged 65 and over. However, as the region fights one of the worst coronavirus outbreaks in the United States, people are chasing vaccine doses in front of their assigned hierarchy and lining up for hours to visit the scene. After the official time is over. Information about where to appear for additional doses and when reviews are generally passed.

Officially, there is no waiting or end-of-day policy, county officials say. But given the dire health emergencies, they also don’t want the dose to be wasted. The gap between the two creates space for the “vaccine vulture” to plummet.

Henry Sea, a Los Angeles firefighter, received a second dose of the Covid-19 vaccine at the Los Angeles Fire Department. Photo: Jae C Hong / AP

It’s hard to count the number of people recording vaccinations earlier than planned, but each of the six megasites scattered across 500 square miles in Los Angeles County can reach dozens each day.

The lack of any vaccine left is due to several factors. According to media reports, about 10% of people with reservations do not appear in the shot. Vials containing the Moderna vaccine should be used within 6 hours of opening and then discarded. Also, the vial should contain 5 doses, but the injector can often remove 6 doses from them.

In a statement in mid-January, Los Angeles County said the public health sector “did not tolerate wasting valuable vaccine doses and did not instruct providers to dispose of unused doses.” The statement added that whenever the county learned of a possible vaccine expiration date, it was working to establish a vaccine clinic with a swift turnaround. (The county’s public health department did not respond to requests for comment on this story.)

Dr. Monya De, a LA area doctor who volunteered at the Inglewood Forum, one of the six megasites for vaccine dispersal in LA County, said it was also available to some of the families accompanying the elderly. He said he was asked if there was any. “Our instructions are to vaccinate only registered people,” she said. “This is a matter of quantity. There are many people in LA who need to be vaccinated.”

However, De said he wondered about resource allocation and whether the current approach is the best way to get the most needles with the most weapons. “The instructions are subject to change as follows. Yes, with additional vaccines, you can inject people who come with you in the same family.”

At the end of her recent shift, De and other syringes circled the forums to accurately count how much vaccine was left. They then, with permission from the site administrator, summoned ready-to-drive people for additional doses. “I heard at least one person saying,’I think I’m going to throw away some of this,'” she recalled. “I was really worried.”

Some of the volunteers knew people who could get there quickly, and soon there was a surge in phone calls and textbooks. Volunteer friends and family have begun to arrive. The vaccine was not thrown away that day.

Drivers wait in line at the massive Covid-19 vaccination site in the Dodger Stadium parking lot. Photo: Damian Dovarganes / AP

LA residents who are currently taking additional shots but are not on the official scheduled schedule will need to take a second shot. They need to stand up to receive a second dose in 3-4 weeks, but some walkups will receive an email to schedule a second shot with an official appointment.

Douglas, who asked for a pseudonym, didn’t want to get in the way when he went looking for a shot. There was no formal procession at the Inglewood Forum that night, and only a few people walked to sit in chairs and received injections. He was awkward and jealous when he saw them taking a selfie. As he hovered nearby and waited for the opening, the site manager immediately closed it. “I’m not taking any more today.” Douglas went back to the dim night and wondered if he should start over.

The next day, he had a discussion, wondering if he should go to the vaccination site again. Eventually, he arrived shortly after the official appointment was over and decided to try again. He walked across the dark parking lot towards the injection tent, asked a few people and waited. That day his fate changed. “It’s your lucky day,” one volunteer told him and led him to where he got his shots. However, there were pitfalls and demands. The site cannot handle the influx of people arriving without a reservation. “Don’t post this on social media.”