Unfortunately, the U.S. doesn’t have enough vaccines for everyone yet, so the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and each state have set guidelines for who can get vaccinated when. And health experts say you really need to wait your turn. “We have an order because we do not have enough vaccine for everyone yet,” explains Dr. Brian Labus, PhD, MPH, REHS, assistant professor in the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas School of Public Health. “With a limited supply, we have to decide how best to use that limited vaccine supply.” To address vaccine shortages, President Joe Biden recently announced that 200 million more doses had been acquired, and the military will begin helping give people their shots and mass vaccination centers will be set up nationwide. Health officials set priority groups so that the most vulnerable can get their shots first. So, there are other logistical and ethical reasons why you shouldn’t skip the line to get vaccinated. Parade.com asked experts to explain.
Why you need to wait your turn to get vaccinated
The CDC recommends that healthcare workers and long-term facility residents get vaccinated first, followed by frontline workers and people 75 and older. Then, people over 65, anyone over age 16 with a health condition and other essential workers. The CDC guidelines focused on equitable distribution based on who’s most at risk, says Dr. Jay Bhatt, DO, osteopathic primary physician and chief clinical product officer and medical director at Medical Home Network. While the virus has disproportionately affected communities of color, lower rates of Black Americans have been vaccinated compared to white Americans. “In an ideal world, there’d be universal access to vaccines so that we’re not seeing people placed in a position where they have to choose when they get the vaccine or when they’re eligible to,” he says. Each state set their own vaccination guidelines, however. For example, California is now vaccinating people over 65 and health care workers, says Patrick Rafferty, chief executive officer at Coast Plaza Hospital in Los Angeles. “It makes a lot of sense,” he says, explaining that healthcare workers need protection since they’re the ones taking care of patients. Older people are more likely to have a negative outcome if they contract the virus. Vaccinating healthcare workers first also maintains hospital infrastructure, Dr. Labus adds. Focusing on getting vulnerable populations vaccinated reduces hospitalizations and even death from COVID-19. “We came up with the priority order to get us the biggest bang for our buck in the community,” he says.
Do you have to show proof that you fall into a priority group?
Whether you have to prove your eligibility for a vaccine depends on where you’re getting vaccinated, but you’ll likely be required to show your ID or some other proof, Dr. Labus says. “Without requiring proof, there would be no way to ensure that we’re reaching the right people, and the system would turn into a free for all.” In some cases, people are getting vaccinated even when they don’t meet the criteria. There have been reports of people trying to game the system by impersonating healthcare workers or trying to bribe doctors to get their shot. And, some of the online vaccine booking systems have allowed people to make appointments by using event codes meant for those in priority groups. Officials are starting to crack down on people jumping the vaccine line. In New York, Governor Andrew Cuomo proposed a law that would criminalize selling or administering the vaccine to people who cut in line. Clinics and providers could lose their license and get fined for vaccinating people not in the priority categories.
How line jumping affects the vaccination process
By waiting your turn to get vaccinated, you’re helping protect yourself and those around you, Dr. Bhatt says. When you jump the line, you might prevent someone who is in a high-risk group from getting their shot, further increasing their risk for getting sick. “It’s the right thing to do for society,” he adds. “We’ve got structures and processes that help allocate scarce resources right now to the folks that need it most.” Line-skipping could further limit the supply of both the first and second doses of the vaccine. The two approved vaccines from Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna require two doses. “Ultimately, when those individuals who are at high risk try to make an appointment to get vaccinated, they’re left with nothing and waiting and potentially being at risk of infection and worsening condition,” Dr. Bhatt explains. There’s not yet an official date for when the general public can get vaccinated. Until then, Rafferty urges patience. “We know the vaccine is going to get rolled out, and if you have to wait a couple of weeks, continue to do the right thing, continue to mask, continue to stay safe, continue to quarantine, don’t put yourself into super-spreader events,” he says. “Do those things that make you safe and give people who are at a higher risk the opportunity to get the vaccine first.”
Some get vaccinated out of turn to avoid wasting shots
Thousands of unused COVID-19 vaccine doses are said to be regularly discarded. The Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines need to be kept at cold temperatures, and once thawed, they have a short shelf life and need to be used quickly. So, there have been reports of clinics and hospitals giving out leftover vaccines to people not in a priority group to avoid wasting them. Sometimes people don’t show up for their vaccination appointments, especially for the second dose, and that usually means leftover vaccines, Rafferty explains. “I would consider that being at the right time, at the right place when those kinds of things occur,” he says. “I wouldn’t consider that jumping the line.” Labus agrees, “At the end of the day, we would rather use any leftover doses to vaccinate someone rather than let them go to waste. We would still prefer to give them to other people in the priority group, but will vaccinate anyone so that they do not go to waste.” Next, read about how to find out if you’re eligible for a vaccine and how to get one in your area.
Sources
Dr. Jay Bhatt, DO, osteopathic primary physician, chief clinical product officer and medical director, Medical Home NetworkBrian Labus, PhD, MPH, REHS, assistant professor, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of Nevada, Las Vegas School of Public HealthPatrick Rafferty, chief executive officer, Coast Plaza Hospital in Los Angeles.Cal Matters: California opens COVID vaccines to anyone 65+Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): CDC’s COVID-19 Vaccine Rollout RecommendationsCNBC: White House secures deals for 200 million more Covid vaccine doses CNBC: NY Gov. Cuomo to propose law making it a crime to skip the line for a Covid vaccineNBC News: Thousands of Covid-19 vaccines wind up in the garbage because of fed, state regulationsScientific American: Black Americans Are Getting COVID Vaccines at Lower Rates Than White AmericansUSA Today: Cutting, bribing, stealing: Some people get COVID-19 vaccines before it’s their turn
