Every dose of the coronavirus vaccine has the potential to save a life. So it’s incredibly important not to waste a drop. Especially at a time when there are not enough doses of it to inoculate the whole country.
A group of employees from Josephine County Public Health in Oregon is getting a lot of attention for their dedication to giving every last dose of the vaccine.
On Tuesday, the group of 20 health workers became trapped in a blizzard en route from a COVID-19 vaccination event in rural Cave Junction on their way to Grants Pass, about 30 miles away.
The journey usually takes about 45 minutes, but a tractor-trailer with a knife on the road would keep them stuck for hours. This meant that the remaining six doses of the COVID-19 vaccine they were carrying would likely expire by the time they reached the Grants Pass.
via Josephine County Public Health / Facebook
Once a vial of the vaccine has thawed out of the freezer, the clock starts ticking if it can be administered. However, once the vial has been pierced, it must be used within six hours or it must be discarded.
So the team decided to knock on the windows of the other stranded people’s cars to see if they wanted the vaccine.
“We had a person who was so happy that he took off his shirt and jumped out of the car,” said Michael Weber, the director of public health in Josephine County.
The team also administered an injection to a Josephine County Sheriff’s Office employee who arrived late at Cave Junction’s vaccination event and was on his way home.
via Josephine County Public Health / Facebook
While the care team’s efforts should be welcomed, they knew they were in a pretty strange situation. “It was a strange conversation,” Weber said. Imagine being stranded on the side of the road in a snowstorm and having someone come up and say, ‘Hey, you want a shot in the arm? ”
The workers were able to administer all six doses of the vaccine before it expired.
“In all fairness, once we knew we wouldn’t be back in town in time to use the vaccine, it was just an obvious choice,” Webber said. “Our most important rule at the moment is that nothing is wasted.”
According to Josephine Public Health’s Facebook page, Webber says the makeshift vaccination clinic down the road was “one of the coolest surgeries he’s been a part of.”
Oregon currently ranks 24th among states in terms of vaccinations administered per capita. The state vaccinated 325,000 of its 4.2 million residents.
Ultimately, one question remains: Will the people vaccinated on the go get the chance to get their second booster shot in a month? Or will they have to wait their turn?
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