SANTA FE SPRINGS, Calif. (Reuters) – Jose Luis Espinoza had been hunting for a COVID-19 vaccine for over three weeks.
He hadn’t hugged his 98-year-old father for a long time and hoped a vaccine would change that. Last week, he hit gold in Santa Fe Springs.
“It was the last dose they gave and I was the lucky one,” said the 68-year-old.
The hunt for leftover vaccine doses is widespread and competitive in Los Angeles. The wait can be hours outside a clinic or vaccination site, and most people are sent away without a shot.
Clinics have leftover doses when people cancel or don’t show up on their appointments at the last minute. Once opened, the vaccine bottles have an expiration date: 5 days for the Pfizer vaccine and 30 days for the Moderna vaccine.
“We have to make sure that when we get that vaccine out, we have the people notified and the resources and the event planned,” said Will Baker, clinic manager for private ambulance service CARE Ambulance, who is wasting the importance of none of the precious doses.
‘NEVER GUARANTEED’
Vaccine gunners have been criticized for getting doses when it’s not their turn, perhaps to take it away from someone who might need it more.
“I’m here hoping there are some left,” said Cynthia Perez, 48, the first to arrive when the Santa Fe Springs clinic opened at 2:00 p.m.
So I’m trying not to jump across the border. I’m just trying to take advantage of vaccines or doses that can be thrown away, ”she said.
Perez said she had a child with asthma and was in poor health herself, adding, “I’m trying to stay ahead and stay healthy.”
As the evening wore on, the line of pursuers outside the clinic grew and Baker recorded their data. During the day, he counted the doses left at each vaccine station, revised the appointment list, and calculated.
When the clinic closed at 6 p.m. and there was one more shot left, he called Espinoza’s name.
“I went through the guidelines and looked for someone in the line who was 1A,” explained Baker, referring to the first category of vaccine assignment recommended by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“We had one person in line who met the 1A criteria and we were able to give him a vaccine today,” he said.
Then Baker went out and told the rest of the line that there were no more doses for the day, apologizing and thanking everyone for their patience.
Perez grabbed her bag and went home, disappointed but not deterred.
‘You can’t be upset. It’s never guaranteed, ”she said.
Reporting by Norma Galeana; Adaptation by Sandra Stojanovic, Karishma Singh and Gerry Doyle