(image source: NY times)
The vaccine rollout continues across the United States, in a specific order of "tiers" based on how susceptible the different age groups/occupations are to the virus. However, the system is far from perfect. In addition to having a scarcity of vaccines, vaccination sites are having to discard doses if they are not administered within a few hours of being removed from the refrigerator.
This brings us to the phenomenon of "vaccine hunters." These people, often healthy individuals who normally wouldn't be getting their vaccines until summer or later, travel across state lines to wait outside pharmacies or other distribution sites. Occasionally, the pharmacy might have unrefrigerated doses that were not administered that day and were not assigned to anyone in particular. Instead of letting the doses go to waste, the "vaccine hunters" will step up and claim the extra doses. These individuals are risking their time and safety for a lucky dose that likely will not be available.
On one hand, some are considering these vaccine hunters as an unconventional "solution" to make the rollout system less wasteful. After all, the vaccines were not going to go to anyone else, and it is better for them to go to a healthy young person than to no one at all. On the other hand, some are criticizing the vaccine hunters for jumping out of line, and how it is unethical and unjust that they can get vaccinated before many elders/front line workers can. It is also brought up that only the people who have the time and resources and connections are able to go around hunting for unused vaccines. This will inevitably lead to worsened inequity.
Currently, there are no policies that prohibit pharmacies from administering extra doses to these vaccine hunters, nor any policies that require them to throw them away or anything else. Some have suggested other solutions, such as the pharmacies using the leftover vaccines for their workers. What do you think of the situation--is it ethical what the vaccine hunters are doing? Is it an improvement to the rollout system or is it another example of socioeconomic inequity in America?
10 comments:
Vaccine hunting presents a rather interesting yet confusing scenario. Some counties have waiting lists: people sign up for these lists online, and at the end of the day can be called and have to report to the pharmacy within a short period of time to receive a vaccine. I think simply signing up for a list like this, and showing up if they can at the end of the day is okay. I do, however, think it is problematic if people with connections and time to spare (and time is money for a lot of people) start looking for and receiving vaccines by staking out pharmacies -- like Brandon said, this can lead to a lot of inequity. A question I do have, is how receiving the second dose of a vaccine will work, once these people "hunt" for (and receive) the first dose. Will they now be prioritized in receiving that second shot before the frontline workers and elderly, or will they have to stake out a pharmacy for another dose? In general, if people can wait, they should -- the rollout of vaccines shouldn't be yet another example of wealth disparity in the US.
Vaccine hunters are an interesting case. First of all I think that is a good for all people to get vaccinated but I dislike the idea that some people believe feel entitled to it. Entitlement is dangerous in this case as it takes vaccines away from those in dire need of the vaccine. As someone who lives with a at risk person, I personal dislike the hunters. They are taken away vaccines from people that are in need of it like my at risk brother. Need should come before entitlement
The concept of "vaccine hunters" is definitely quite interesting and the dilemma brings to light many inequities with the current vaccine distribution. While on the one hand, it seems like the hunters are taking advantage of a somewhat wasteful situation with many vaccines being thrown out, the issue with cutting others who are on designated lists to receive the vaccine brings up many concerns. The privilege and resources necessary to locate sites and wait in long hours for free vaccines, where other essential workers may not have the luxury to ditch work for days to wait patiently for a vaccine is sad. It seems as though a better way of storing the extra vaccines in pharmacies should be implemented, to give out to more people in later days. I am torn because if these vaccines would truly go to waste, it does not seem like there is any harm in administering them to the hunters, yet if there are still thousands of elderly, at-risk citizens who have not been taken off the list to receive their dosages, it seems only right if they are at the top of the list to receive the excess vaccines at these sites.
I wasn't aware of this concept until just now. I think that this is a very interesting situation. I don't consider these individuals as potential "solutions" to the problem of vaccine wasting. I think they're great in situations such as filling in the spots and even traveling some distance to make sure the vaccines are not wasted. But I want to bring into the spotlight why there are wasted vaccines in the first place. The privilege of being able to find the commute to these administrating sites is one of the biggest problems. The current groups that the government is trying to administer to are the elderly and the frontline workers. More than often, the elderlies aren't aware of where to get these vaccines or even worse, not able to find some sort of transportation to get to the location. Another issue of "vaccine hunters" is just as Liam mentioned. The need should come before entitlement. They are taking away vaccines from those that actually need them. They might be over-exercising their privileges and potentially endangering others.
Are these vaccines able to be refrigerated and sent off to other locations in need of vaccines? If so, other people on the priority list are able to receive their vaccinations in a timely and efficient manner.
There definitely needs to be improvements to the system distribution of vaccines throughout the country. First, those who don’t have access to internet to sign up, sufficient time (jobs, caring for family, etc.), and enough resources will and have suffered greatly from the pandemic and receiving vaccinations. Having to balance work during COVID-19 to support one’s family and staying safe is something that many families are facing. According to a CDC analysis, “Black, Hispanic and Native Americans are dying from covid at nearly three times the rate of white Americans.”
Other than financing these vaccines from these pharmaceutical companies, are there any other ways the government can do to help either speed up production or implement a more efficient distribution system?
https://www.today.com/health/how-register-covid-19-vaccine-state-state-guide-t205275
https://khn.org/news/article/black-americans-are-getting-vaccinated-at-lower-rates-than-white-americans/
Like many other commenters above the concept of vaccine hunters is a very confusing and controversial thing. I came across a video of someone vaccine hunting a bit ago and at first with no context was confused at first. Its honestly not the best solution for the extra vaccines because only those who are more financially stable have the ability to spend a day going around to vaccine sites to see if they are able to get a vaccine, when these vaccines should be going to high risk people. Plus, with the vaccine needing two dosages, if these vaccine hunters get their first dose out of luck, they will need to go back to get a second one which will take away from high risk patients. Therefore while I think these extra dosages should go somewhere, I think these extra ones going to health-care workers or elderly would be a better choice.
There is no doubt that vaccine hunters are an example of inequity in our society, and this is definitely a controversial and interesting topic, like everyone above has stated. While it's beneficial to vaccinate more people and not waste doses, I think there should be improvements made to the distribution system in order to give these doses to essential workers, instead of people who are hunting for them (and are not high risk).
Not only has vaccine distribution highlighted socioeconomic inequity in our country, it has also posed an issue in global economic equity. The wealthier countries in North America and Europe have secured a bulk of the stock of limited vaccines available, while developing countries are left to secure their own stock of vaccines. Some developing countries are projected to receive vaccines much later than countries like the US, even though they participated significantly in the vaccine trials. This extends beyond vaccine distributions; many developing countries did not receive tools that they were promised to receive to fight the pandemic (tests, protective gear, etc). Furthermore, the US economy is projected to grow during and after the period of vaccine distribution, further contributing to the socioeconomic equity globally. Thus, I completely agree with what everyone is commenting above, that this is an issue that needs to be addressed.
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/25/business/coronavirus-vaccines-global-economy.html
Weighing both sides, I do not think that the “vaccine hunters” pose a problem overall. I understand that their actions highlight socioeconomic inequality in society as only those who have the time and resources would be able to hunt for vaccines. It may seem unfair. However, I believe that “vaccine hunting” is ultimately acceptable for the time being because it optimizes resources by not letting the vaccines go to waste. If there is an extra vaccine, I would prefer if someone took it rather than no one at all.
I wouldn’t consider “vaccine hunters” a “solution” to the rollout system though; it would still be best if people received the vaccine tier by tier, as was originally planned. Like Howard and Rachel said, “vaccine hunters” are a symptom of a much larger problem: the nation’s distribution system itself is inefficient and inequitable. Improvements to the problematic distribution system would fix the root causes behind the “vaccine hunting” issue. As Biden proposes, vaccination sites could be established in low-income communities to make vaccines more accessible to the underprivileged. The extra vaccines could also be sent to other facilities in need, such as nursing homes. Hopefully such improvements to the distribution system will be made, stripping away the need for “vaccine hunters” in the first place.
The idea of "socio-economic inequity" in this situation is not a justified argument for letting vaccines go to waste. In fact, the notion that following covid restrictions will save other lives has been pushed for the past year since this entire thing started; if this is true, then it should also follow that gaining immunity to the covid-19 vaccine is also protecting others, since these people will no longer be infectious to others. They are only using their own resources and taking their own time to make sure vaccines are not wasted. These vaccine hunters themselves are not a problem but rather a symptom of one: wastefulness. If one really wants to get of this so-called "inequity," then it should come to reason that they should address the problems within the distribution system itself.
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