Covid Vaccines

[Buckeye]

Getting an appoint, however, is a sh!t show

Clearly. Sleepy says get the vaccine when it is "your turn." WTF does than mean?

1. My wife, a teacher, was given a vaccine registration website by her administration. She could have forwarded the registration link to anybody. At her appointment, nobody asked for proof of employment.

2. An acquaintance of mine, a trophy wife, aged 50, who does not work, has no kids, and rarely leaves the house, scammed her way into an appointment claiming she was "immune compromised." Mostly, she is a hypchondriac. No proof of her compromised immunity was required.

3. Meanwhile, my inlaws in their upper 70's, after weeks of trying various sites, finally landed appointments on the other side of the state.

Me, me, me, me.

 

[afadeev]

Clearly. Sleepy says get the vaccine when it is "your turn." WTF does than mean?

It means inheriting no vaccine distro plan from the Twitter Troll gets you exactly the status quo you were applauding a few months ago !?

An acquaintance of mine, a trophy wife, aged 50, who does not work, has no kids, and rarely leaves the house, scammed her way into an appointment claiming she was "immune compromised." [...] Meanwhile, my inlaws in their upper 70's, after weeks of trying various sites, finally landed appointments on the other side of the state.

Not ideal, right?
Being eligible gets you very little, other than a place in a State, county, or local healthcare system's queue. With constrained supply, it takes months to go from a spot in queue to an appointment, even for 1A population.

The SNL clip wasn't kidding, it only gets more hilarious in many statues, including NJ.
Since each state has its own vaccine prioritization criteria - being a smoker prioritizes you for vaccine eligibility over teachers, grocery, or public transport workers in NJ.
Want to jump the queue - puff up tobacco or weed (now legal), and jump right ahead:

Smokers are eligible for the COVID vaccine in N.J. The move has some in a huff, but experts say it’s good policy.

People are buzzing over the decision to start vaccinating an estimated 2 million smokers.

www.nj.com

The US still has no National vaccine distribution strategy, beyond prioritizing DoD and their dependents, and punting the rest to the States.
So it will be weird, and entertaining, and sub-optimal, but one way or the other, it will get done:

Bill Gates: Vaccine distribution could be 'tricky and weird' thanks to the federal government

The Microsoft co-founder and billionaire philanthropist said the United States should have handled the pandemic much better.

www.cnbc.com

If you are in a hurry, consider paying up for medical "VIP" practice.
My ex-primary care Doc had called offering VIP vaccination slots if I come back into the fold, way back in mid-January!

 

[Jmhepworth]

Being eligible gets you very little, other than a place in a State, county, or local healthcare system's queue. With constrained supply, it takes months to go from a spot in queue to an appointment, even for 1A population.

Interesting. I was listening to the Utah Governor‘s weekly press conference (I’m part of a small team at work responsible for our COVID response, so I listen in every week, usually a day or so later). He announced a change in eligibility that made me eligible immediately rather than tomorrow. As soon as my county website caught up with the new eligibility, I scheduled an appointment for the next day.

My county does it right. The site for the injections is an enclosed concrete floor horse arena. You get in line in your car, pull into the arena and into one of a dozen or so spots, get questioned and poked without getting out of the car. Including the 15 minute wait to watch for an allergic reaction, the whole process was less than 30 minutes from the time I pulled into the parking lot until I left. Easy. And I could listen to an audio book while I waited.

 

[stealth6]

I'm also in Utah....in a rural county.

Things are beginning to open up around here. It's still VERY hit-and-miss, and you basically have to be persistent and checking and still get lucky with timing, but more and more possibilities are opening up.

My own county is currently on a 65+ yo status, but they've also (semi-quietly) opened it up to "all" educators, first responders, etc. I called my local health department last week to check my own "first responder" eligibility (I'm Wilderness First Responder certified), and was told that technically I was eligible, but that they were still prioritizing seniors, ........BUT they also just happened to have a couple of doses unspoken for that day and that I should come on down. Did so, and got my first does in about 10 minutes...easy and quick. Again, my timing just happened to be lucky.

Then, this morning it was announced that the Navajo Health System, in the county next to mine, just happened to have a decent sized surplus of doses today, and that they one-time opened availability to ALL adults (Navajo or not). Two of my co-workers just took off (an hour&half drive) to get theirs. They might still miss out as the doses might run out by then, but they took the chance....we'll see later today.

To be clear, the doses I'm talking about are basically left-overs. All providers are absolutely prioritizing the class of folks that are currently "in line", (ie: seniors, HC workers, etc.). But on any given day there are sometimes a couple/few doses that had not been used or scheduled for any numbers of reasons, and it makes way more sense to use them up and vaccinate people rather than have them go to waste. Mine was like this....even though I'm technically eligible, I would not be able to schedule a regular appointment...again, I got lucky with the timing, as some others are doing now. And doses aren't going to waste, and more folks are being vaccinated.....good news all around. This works in a small population area, but would probably be less practical in places where 100's or 1000's of people are being vaccinated every day.

Things are moving in the right direction, still a long way to go but we seem to be on the right trajectory at least.

Stay safe and healthy folks,
s6

 

[NateB]

But on any given day there are sometimes a couple/few doses that had not been used or scheduled for any numbers of reasons, and it makes way more sense to use them up and vaccinate people rather than have them go to waste.

My aunt and uncle were able to get their vaccine this way too. They live in a community of around 20,000 and took my grandparents to get their second dose. They asked when they would be able to be scheduled (under 65, but educators) and were told they had some unused doses that day and could get it now. I am sure it helped that they were with my 90 year old grandparents. It is always better for a dose to go in someone's arm than in the trash.

 

[boatgeek]

It is really interesting how many people in the press and in general all nodded their heads sagely in November when we were told that it would take 6-9 months to get everyone vaccinated and now (3 months in) are climbing the walls with "I WANT MY VACCINE!!1!" I'd be pretty happy to get my shot by June. Lack of a national strategy is a double-edged sword. Some of the differences are a little puzzling, but I'm not sure it's a bad thing overall. For example, WA isn't using the National Guard to give shots but we seem to be doing pretty well at using up our doses with the health infrastructure we have.

As far as not requiring ID at the vax site or when you're setting appointments, my wife had an interesting take. Yes, it allows people to cheat and jump the line, but those people are also probably the very ones that you want to get vaccinated as soon as possible for public health, since they don't think that rules apply to them. They're probably the ones who will be out without masks and the like anyway. The argument is a little Machiavellian for my taste, but I can see the logic.

 

[kuririn]

My aunt and uncle were able to get their vaccine this way too. They live in a community of around 20,000 and took my grandparents to get their second dose. They asked when they would be able to be scheduled (under 65, but educators) and were told they had some unused doses that day and could get it now. I am sure it helped that they were with my 90 year old grandparents. It is always better for a dose to go in someone's arm than in the trash.

So if your first dose is an extra that would have been thrown out, and you don't technically qualify, do you get scheduled for a second dose right then and there? Or do you have to scramble for the second dose as well?

 

[stealth6]

So if your first dose is an extra that would have been thrown out, and you don't technically qualify, do you get scheduled for a second dose right then and there? Or do you have to scramble for the second dose as well?

In my case they, when I signed in (for that first dose) they automatically scheduled the second dose 4 weeks out.

I DID check, multiple times, with the folks at the clinic to make sure I wasn't essentially pushing someone else out of line, and they assured me that it was all good, and that they actually appreciated that I was taking the dose offered. Again, though, we are in a small rural county and the situation would probably be different in a metropolitan location.

s6

 

[boatgeek]

In my case they, when I signed in (for that first dose) they automatically scheduled the second dose 4 weeks out.

I DID check, multiple times, with the folks at the clinic to make sure I wasn't essentially pushing someone else out of line, and they assured me that it was all good, and that they actually appreciated that I was taking the dose offered. Again, though, we are in a small rural county and the situation would probably be different in a metropolitan location.

s6

In Seattle, they've just set up a system to notify people who are in the current phase that there are extra doses available. In theory, that will allow them to give those extras to people who currently qualify. There's also lines that form in the day to pick up any extra doses at big sites. At least the first few times that happened, they went down the line asking if people were currently qualified to try to target the doses to the current phase.

 

[boomtube-mk2]

So who needs the vaccine more?

A 70 year old who never leaves his/her home and doesn't even allow visitors or a 55, or younger, person who comes into contact with lots of people daily during the course of his/her work?

 

[boatgeek]

So who needs the vaccine more?

A 70 year old who never leaves his/her home and doesn't even allow visitors or a 55, or younger, person who comes into contact with lots of people daily during the course of his/her work?

Questions like that are why I'm glad I'm not a public health professional!

 

[OverTheTop]

My wife's cousin in England never leaves her home. She has MS and is very limited in what she can do. One of her carers brought covid to her . She was hospitalised but has recovered.

 

[davel]

So who needs the vaccine more?

A 70 year old who never leaves his/her home and doesn't even allow visitors or a 55, or younger, person who comes into contact with lots of people daily during the course of his/her work?

From the CDC:

 

[High Desert Rocketry]

This isn't meant to be cruel or anything. I'm 69 and statistically have fewer years remaining of life. I'm sure many/most/all of you if there was just one dose of vaccine left would give it to your son or daughter. So, given the choice between me getting the shot and a 55-year-old, I would say give it to them. We are 'retired' and have the luxury of staying home during this time while others are at work keeping our civilization functioning.

Normally, my wife has a group of older ladies in her quilting group over and they socialize and make quilts for homeless kids and wounded veterans. Now they socialize on Zoom and the internet but are still cranking out the quilts...maybe more since they are restricted to home Since last year February, we have had three people come in our house...the fiber optics installer so we could have internet and two from a school rocket team that I mentor. The most I go out this past year is to our test/launch facility for rockets, wearing masks, and trying my best to social distance. My wife has a vaccine appointment next week Wednesday.

 

[PatD]

My wife is in rehab in Lubbock, TX. We live in Billings, MT. I am working on getting her back to Billings. No indication of them intending to vaccinating my wife. Maybe we can get vaccinated when we return to Montana. Of course it could depend on the level of care. It appears to me that they have decided that she is a "warehouse" patient.

 

[Hardline]

I was in luck this when accompanying Wayco to the State Farm Arena in Glendale, AZ for his second Pfizer shot. Arizona is opening up vaccinations for 55+ at noon today and they decided to go ahead and vaccinate me too since I am in that age grouping even though I did not have an appointment.

The way they have it set up is pretty slick, we got there about 3:20 am and were home by 4 am. You just drive through - the first person took Wayne's appointment number and wrote it on the windshield. The next stop they had me fill out a form and answer questions and then wrote that number on the windshield. Next stop was a person who double checked all the info, gave me my vaccine card and scheduled my 2nd shot in three weeks. Then you reach the the folks giving the shots and they write the time of the shot on the windshield. Final stop is where they make sure it's been 15 minutes (based on the time on the windshield) for any potential allergic reactions, filled out Wayne's vaccine card about his second shot and then they wipe off the windshield and you are done and on your way. Never got out of the car. Great group of Volunteers making this happen so smoothly. The volunteers get vaccinated at the end of their shift. This place is open 24 hours, 7 days a week running about 12,000 people a day through it.

According to our State Health Department website AZ has administered over 1.8 million doses as on Monday. It's a hybrid age-based, underlying conditions and essential worker system that does seem to be working pretty well. My 86 year old father and 94 year old mother - in - law have both received their second doses, Dad through the State Farm Arena and MIL through her Senior Care Home system. The website to make appointments has improved a lot since I set up the folks on my street for their appointments (I'm the youngster on the street and the most computer literate) and I'm the last one to get vaccinated in our 55+ neighborhood.

 

[Buckeye]

From the CDC:
View attachment 453115

This chart does not answer boomtube's question.

The bottom line is that your governor or local bureaucrat decides who deserves the vaccine more (which also reflects their special interests and political bent.) Just like they decide who is essential, who is allowed to open their business, and who gets to go to school. We are not all in this together when governments pick winners and losers.

 

[davel]

This chart does not answer boomtube's question.

No it doesn't, but it provides some info that might be useful in answering the subjective question.

 

[Reinhard]

The bottom line is that your governor or local bureaucrat decides who deserves the vaccine more (which also reflects their special interests and political bent.) Just like they decide who is essential, who is allowed to open their business, and who gets to go to school. We are not all in this together when governments pick winners and losers.

Which alternative to this approach for vaccine distribution would you suggest instead?

Reinhard

 

[Buckeye]

Which alternative to this approach for vaccine distribution would you suggest instead?

Reinhard

Social Security Number, Medicare Number, Tax return...

 

[boatgeek]

I'd be pretty happy to get my shot by June.

According to the news today, all US adults should be vaccinated by the end of May. That seems aggressive but maybe Merck producing vaccines for J&J is the difference. I will believe it when it’s in my arm.

 

[Bill S]

I dunno, Boatgeek. Around here (South-Central PA), the pharmaices can't get much vaccine. My wife's store has vaccinated a grand total of 100 people, all first doses, and they still can't get any more vaccine for the second doses. Giant cluster-you know what.

 

[Reinhard]

According to the news today, all US adults should be vaccinated by the end of May. That seems aggressive but maybe Merck producing vaccines for J&J is the difference. I will believe it when it’s in my arm.

Minor nitpick: The announcement was for produced and delivered vaccines, with the caveat that it will take longer to put them to use. Nonetheless, having all those doses available earlier than expected is good news.

Reinhard

 

[stealth6]

My mother, who lives in Connecticut, is 83, and just got her second dose, tells me that CT has just "simplified" their eligibility requirements.
Apparently for a while they had a system that was confusing and complicated (mostly due to defining who was "essential"). So, they've now changed it to two and only two factors.....Teacher/educators, and everyone else is strictly aged-based. (note: that hospital/health-care folks are already largely vaccinated).
It's made it simpler, yes, but there are a lot of people who are pretty angry about it.

s6

 

[Flyfalcons]

Squeaky wheel gets the grease, and now a healthy 25 year old gets the vaccine ahead of a 58 year old essential worker with comorbities. Oh well

 

[CalebJ]

Squeaky wheel gets the grease, and now a healthy 25 year old gets the vaccine ahead of a 58 year old essential worker with comorbities. Oh well

In what situation are you suggesting that this happens?

 

[boatgeek]

I dunno, Boatgeek. Around here (South-Central PA), the pharmaices can't get much vaccine. My wife's store has vaccinated a grand total of 100 people, all first doses, and they still can't get any more vaccine for the second doses. Giant cluster-you know what.

Yeah, I would really like to see vaccine supplies going up before I get really hopeful. Of course, the other bonus for the J&J vaccine is that there are no second doses.

Minor nitpick: The announcement was for produced and delivered vaccines, with the caveat that it will take longer to put them to use. Nonetheless, having all those doses available earlier than expected is good news.

Thanks for that. I was going to come back and clarify, but you beat me to it. The first report was from a FB post, the clarification came from a newspaper article. I feel like there's a lesson in there somewhere but I can't quite figure out what.

 

[Flyfalcons]

In what situation are you suggesting that this happens?

Not that hard to figure out, is it? Take my state, for example. Currently a 58 year old essential worker with comorbities is not eligible for the vaccine. But by Presidential decree, a healthy 25 year old teacher is. Not a suggestion by me. It's verifiable fact.

 

[boatgeek]

Not that hard to figure out, is it? Take my state, for example. Currently a 58 year old essential worker with comorbities is not eligible for the vaccine. But by Presidential decree, a healthy 25 year old teacher is. Not a suggestion by me. It's verifiable fact.

That kind of thing has been going on for the entire time that there's been an approved vaccine. Members of Congress (some of whom are ~30 years old) got the vaccine before a lot of medical workers on COVID wards. And don't get me started on the hospitals that gave priority doses to their big-dollar donors.

Bigger picture, a political calculation has been made that (a) opening schools is important and (b) that won't happen without vaccinating teachers widely. I can't exactly disagree with either one of those statements, but I also see your point.

 

[kuririn]

Not that hard to figure out, is it? Take my state, for example. Currently a 58 year old essential worker with comorbities is not eligible for the vaccine. But by Presidential decree, a healthy 25 year old teacher is. Not a suggestion by me. It's verifiable fact.

States decide who gets prioritized, not the Feds. Florida opened up vaccinations to all seniors ahead of essential workers and front line medical personnel. That's why some people were driving from out of state to Florida to get vaccinated. They had to add a "State residents only" stipulation. In some states if you're over 65 you qualify for tier 1b. Other states you have to be 75 and over. Also states are not notified on the quantity of doses they will receive for a week until the Thursday before. Makes it difficult for the PODs to plan ahead.
I can see the reason for vaccinating the political leaders. If congress was shut down due to an outbreak it would really mess up the process. Vaccinating hospital board members and big donors who don't work the medical front lines is unethical. Same with yoga and fitness "instructors" in California who qualified as "educators". Individual states should eliminate those ridiculous loopholes.