Ever since the first vaccine, thousands of them have been thrown out do to things as simple as human error. But, vaccines have also been thrown out to do patients missing their appointments, which only leaves throwing the fully functional vaccines in the garbage. In Texas alone, 6800 vaccines were discarded due to missed appointments and usability. In December, Dr. Hasan Gokal tried to give away 10 doses of the Moderna Vaccine that were about to expire. After being found out about, he was immediately fired and charged with theft. This seemed completely unreasonable because he had no bad intentions so the charges were dropped. "In the absence of having any other options, I contacted people who I thought would be eligible or would know somebody who would be eligible." Unfortunately, this occurred before the CDC could urge people to save the leftover vaccines through level means. In response, a man named Doug Ward created a website. The website tracks the amount of leftover working vaccines in most states and notifies users of the location. Like many others, Doug was struggling to find his mother a place to get vaccinated so already being a entrepreneur, he made VaccineHunter.org. At the moment, there isn't much pushback to using leftover vaccines. If it comes to it, it's better using it on a completely healthy young man than throwing it away. One worry could be the possibility that when the vaccine becomes a leftover, it becomes more open to younger, less threatened people. Older people at high-risk may have a more difficult time reaching the leftover vaccine than younger people more familiar with the internet and nearby information. If this becomes the case, there'll be thousands of high-risk patients waiting in line that could've gotten the vaccine quicker, but couldn't.
Currently for California, the eligibility to get a vaccine through appointment or access the leftovers (unless no one touches the leftover vaccine) is separated by two different groups. These groups are named Phase 1A and 1B. In phase 1A, mainly healthcare and public health sector workers are getting priority. Phase 1B includes childcare and education workers. With many people anxious to get their hands on a vaccine so they can feel safer when going outside to carry out their usual daily tasks, it's imperative that hopefully no one misses their appointment so that the confusion for leftover vaccines is unnecessary. Who knows how many more lives that are being lost because of simply missed appointments.
Do you think that the website will make a big impact? If so is there anything else you would add to it?
https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CID/DCDC/Pages/COVID-19/VaccineAllocationGuidelines.aspx
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-55841017
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/09/health/covid-vaccine-leftover-doses-dr-b.html
7 comments:
I don't think the website will have a huge impact, but its impact will be noticeable and important. There are millions of people waiting for Covid vaccines, and if one website means we could all get them a little bit quicker, then I am for it. As mentioned, it is concerning that those with little risk will get the vaccines before those with great risk, but I think there is a greater concern. Those with little risk need to take their second dose (depending on the vaccine) on a specific date following their initial vaccination. If the first dose is being rolled out unnaturally quickly, we may have issues administering enough second doses, which would no longer be restricted by age. This could backfire and cause more old people to be at greater risk. All in all, however, as long as the second doses are managed well, I think having the leftover vaccines go to people who can get them as quickly as possible is a great idea.
I think that the website will have some type of impact at least currently till the vaccine is available to everyone. The vaccine isn't open to everyone yet and allowing these extra doses be used is a good thing. Of course they should be going to more high risk patients but most of these don't have the ability to quickly get to a vaccination center for these extra doses, so I think that as long as it is not being wasted, it is more beneficial. The biggest concern over this whole system is that most people who are able to do this are the younger demographic and could cause complications with second doses as they would have to schedule to get another one leading to less high risk people to obtain one. But overall I think this website is a good way to decrease the waste of vaccinations.
With limited supply of vaccines and many people who want them, there has become great controversy over who deserves to get vaccinated first. They have come up with an order, giving them to essential workers and old people first, and then everyone else based off of age group. The good thing is that this issue will be gone soon. In 5 weeks there will be a massive surplus in vaccines. You will be able to walk into any drug store in American and get a covid vaccine, making them extremely accessible. As of right now, vaccines are being mass produced with more being created than everybody on Earth, so once these vaccines arrive in a month to a month and a half, anyone who wants to get vaccinated will be able to do so. After this happens, we will be able to revert to our prior ways of life, going out in public and socializing with others. So in the meantime, all this hard work over getting a shot is silly. If your a perfectly healthy person, just wait another month, they will be here soon.
I think Ward's website could be super helpful if it is truly effective and is more broadly publicized. I think one aspect that makes getting vaccinated such a difficult process, even those part of the 1A and 1B groups, is the inconsistency with the vaccination process seemingly everywhere. Every state, and even every county, gets to make their own decisions regarding the distribution of vaccines. This makes it impossible to create a national guideline and forces every individual to seek out vaccination information on their own. In my own experiences, it's been interesting to watch those who are less at-risk get vaccinated simply because they are able to utilize the vaccine-appointment websites/online resources better. This website, if run well, could be a really great way to eliminate the possibility of wasting vaccines. It is always disheartening to hear stories about vaccines expiring when there seems to be so many people desperate to get the shot.
This is mainly a battle between equity vs efficiency. These online website that match people with leftover vaccines favor efficiency, since it is getting more shots into more arms and reducing waste. However, these website also favor the younger generation that is more comfortable with technology, which goes against equity. The guidelines and rollout programs are what favor equity and reduce efficiency. The trick is to find a balance between these two. A company called Dr. B, which is another company that matches leftover vaccines with people, is doing just this - they are purposely advertising their website in communities that are naturally discriminated against by the system, such as black churches and native american community groups. While this isn’t perfect, it does seem to be fairly equitable and efficient, as it gives those extra shots to those who need it most. For the rest of us, I agree with Michael - vaccines are almost here; our time of waiting will soon be over.
nytimes.com/2021/03/09/health/covid-vaccine-leftover-doses-dr-b.html
https://www.cnn.com/2021/03/01/health/covid-vaccines-coming-when-trnd/index.html
I think it’s quite reasonable to want to reduce as much vaccine wastage as possible; I also understand the desire to obtain protection against the virus as soon as possible. However, while there is still a limited supply, I think people should continue to be conscious about who truly needs it first. Hence, I think the concept of standy-by lists (which I think have already been rolled out in some locations) would help provide some balance to the equity vs. efficiency issue that Arnav detailed in his comment by making sure those who need it most urgently can receive their doses on a day to day basis while also ensuring that waste is reduced and providing more protection all around. On the other hand, looking forward to a month or two from now, just because there will be enough supply, it doesn’t mean the vaccines will get distributed efficiently; that depends on infrastructure and transportation capabilities, and thus, there can still be further delays in vaccinations; moreover, getting vaccinated also somewhat depends on people’s access to booking appointments and being able to take time out of the day, which clearly differs based on socioeconomic status.
I don't see any problem with the website and efforts made to maximize vaccine use. While it's true that putting this information online may gear its audience towards a younger population, the fact is that it's simply the most efficient; with the number of leftover vaccines changing rapidly, the only way to release the information quickly and accordingly is through the internet and social media. This may lead to more vaccines going to younger adults, however, it's more important that someone receives it rather than just letting it go to waste. This brings me to my next point: people missing their appointment and having their vaccines trashed. It's hard to believe that almost 7,000 people in one state could have had suddenly had obligations preventing them from showing up to such an important appointment. Furthermore, this number concerns me because it displays a level of recklessness and care regarding the issue of COVID, especially given that medical workers likely have to trash the vaccine they had waiting for them.
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