Covid vaccine queue -- how would you feel if you knew someone was cutting in line?

I want everyone who wants the vaccine to get it. And I definitely think there should be a place early in line for household members of the elderly and others in high-risk groups. My thirty-something son lives with me and works in retail. If he gets sick, I’m in trouble.

But it’s not right for anyone to assert privilege (including the implicit privilege of means) to take resources away from those who need them more, whether vaccinations or anything else. I would feel very indignant if I knew of such instances.

The only saving grace there is that it would be a one- or two-time usurpation and not something thst happens routinely, day after day, year after year, as may well be the case with siphoning resources of other kinds. There will in due course be enough for all.

Depends on the situation.

I am annoyed that people were flying into Florida to get vaccinated, and also that our snowbirds were able to get vaccinated here. Although, the snowbirds are less annoying than people who literally are just on a vaccine vacation coming from other states and countries. I am not going to make a big deal about it, except to complain on fluther and to a few friends. Even if they are within the eligibility age, they are taking vaccines away from residents of Florida, and the states were given supplies based on population. It would not have been as big of an issue if the vaccines had been approved now rather than December and January. The thing about this group is it is probably over a half a million people who aren’t even technically residents of the state. It is not a few people here and there gaming the system somehow or 535 congressmen.

I think it was impossible to do the distribution perfectly and there were arguments about whether frontline workers should be before the elderly, and I think the decision is really difficult. So, some line jumping is not even really line jumping to me, because so many people deserved to be first and supplies were limited. Like, a friend of mine who works on a medical center campus, but who does not see patients, she got the vaccine in the very beginning with other hospital workers. I think she could have fairly waited with other office workers in other industries, but I think it is fine that she was vaccinated. The hospitals had the vaccines, and initially it made sense for vaccines to be given where medical care was in the immediate vicinity.

I have always said, if you are offered a vaccine, take it, whether you are technically eligible or not. Don’t let a dose risk going to waste. Don’t feel badly about getting a shot out of turn if it was luck and timing that brought you the opportunity. This to me is not jumping the line.

Some people were upset that politicians were getting vaccinated, talking about the 535. I wasn’t very upset. They are our leaders, they set an example for the citizenry, and it is important that they can meet together and vote, and look what happened on Jan 6. Now, some people are complaining some congressmen won’t get vaccinated. It is exhausting to listen to.

I just got vaccinated and I firmly believe my husband and I qualify as higher risk, but my doctor’s office was giving me a hard time, because they are idiots and always have been. I finally put my name on a waste avoidance list at Walmart and they called me yesterday to get vaccinated. I don’t meet the age parameter that is currently in place in Florida, unless you count that I have some of the risk factors that I believe make me eligible, and I know people who did get a note from their doctor with the same risk factors. Anyway, the waste avoidance list is open to all ages, and I think that is good. Sitting in the vaccine waiting area with me yesterday was a woman who was around 35 years old who had just been vaccinated. She was an employee at the store. Supermarkets here are offering the vaccine to their employees of all ages when there is vaccine that would be thrown out otherwise. That makes sense to me too. They are not part of the eligible essential workers list, but they can be included on the waste avoidance list.

Alaska has opened up the vaccinations to all residents 16 or older, so cutting in line basically isn’t a problem here. I’m sure it happened prior to this, that’s human nature, but haven’t heard any stories out of Alaska. Our state health officials worked with both the Native Alaskan and military groups to get vaccines in arms and it has been relatively easy here once the initial issues with trying to sign up online were solved. I actually have one neighbor older than me who hasn’t had the vaccine yet but her decision was based on having severe allergies and her doctor’s recommendation to “wait for now”. I just talked to her today and she’s leaning toward getting it, particularly the J & J one that requires only the one shot.

It’s not great, but I don’t think it happens enough to be particularly concerned about. Their selfish behavior indicates a different kind of pitiful sickness that is its own punishment.

When it happens in an organized fashion, like corruption leading to it going to the rich and white or certain customers / friends / allies for no reason other than selfishness, that deserves to be called out, shamed and punished, as that has a sizeable impact, as will the continued corrupt abuses of people like that, and calling them out will tend to reduce their opportunities to practice corruption in future.

I’m sure it’s happened and it’s not right, but I’m not going to sweat over something that I can’t control and don’t know about specific instances of.

I’ve heard about people at work who had connections (work connections) and got it, for example. Why stress over that and be resentful?

In the UK we are vaccinated according to risk, starting with care home residents and staff and working down by age and vulnerability. I wouldn’t know how to cut in line, or even if it’s possible. The way I look at it every vaccination helps reduce the spread of the virus and hastens the day society can get back to normal.

It doesn’t matter at all. The whole vaccine rolllout has been such a a shitshow, the problem isn’t with individuals attempting or succeeding at cheating requirements. The faster we’re all vaccinated, the better. I have absolutely no problem with people doing whatever it takes to get the vaccine.

I don’t care. I want everyone to get one. I am fortunate that I am old enough to have already been stuck. I probably would have been able to get in sooner, because of medical issues, but I could follow the protocols and stay safe.

Two months ago my answer would have been different, since vaccines were in very short supply, the post-Christmas surge was upon us, and people were dying left and right.

Now – mid_March – you can get the vaccine practically everywhere (groceries, drug stores, Wal-mart, and mass sites) so it isn’t an issue.

^ Seriously – is MA the only state that has extreme and extreme vaccine shortage and crisis? I don’t get it.

@hello321 Not so long ago, MA was indeed one of the worst with the roll out, which surprised me. It’s better now, but has a job of catching up. CT has been really excellent with the roll out, we are very fortunate here.
Did your mom ever get her vaccine?

@canidmajor – My mom has an appointment for her first shot today! :) (In fact, I’m waiting to hear from her shortly to see how it went.)

My sister still can’t get the vaccine, however.

@elbanditoroso What about if people are from out of state or out of country? I personally know people who flew to Florida for a month from another country to get vaccinated. They don’t regularly come here, it’s not like Florida is their home part of the year. I doubt they quarantined when they stepped off the plane. Within a few days lined up for their shots.

There are many reports of this, but I actually know these people, or some of the people in the group anyway, they are all related, it’s not just a random report in the news. I found out after the fact, so they were here in the beginning.

I agree it is getting better, but we still have under 65 year olds that haven’t even had a chance to get the shot yet. Florida started 60 this past Monday.

@hello321 My heart aches for your family. I am so sorry to hear about this. My 93 year old friend (in Mass) just got his first shot last week.
Fingers staying crossed for you guys.

I’d be OK with it. The sooner we all get vaccinated, the better. It doesn’t matter who gets it first.

Typo: we still have over 65 year olds still trying to get vaccinated.

Here in my area of NY, it’s very hard to get the vaccine. When there are appointments online, they get taken up quickly. By the time the appointments are posted, they’re gone.

@JLeslie let’s put blame where it’s due. Your Florida governor screwed things up from day one.

Our governor in Georgia is no great shakes, but to his credit, his COVID team and the state and county health departments were goal-oriented and, after a slow start, have things running smoothly. My experience (both shots) was that my County health department had their shit together and things were as smooth and painless as I have ever seen.

I’m not going to speculate on Florida and other states, because I’m not there.

I admit to getting a little irritated when a 30-something friend got in before my at-risk mother and many other seniors. I care about him a lot and he does work at the school though, so I don’t hold it against him.

I really don’t think the vaccine roll out is a shit show. I did think that the NBA getting the first shots was ridiculous, but here it is, mid March and 10% of the population has been fully vaccinated. That is just in 2½ months. That is about 33 million people. Factor in the horrible weather conditions that some of the US was going through that actually stopped the vaccinations for a while.
I was able to be fully vaccinated in February, but if you had asked me in December when I would be, I would have said summer.
Thank you Pfizer and the other drug makers for making this possible so quickly.

I agree, @chyna. It really wasn’t that long ago that it was “By the fall…”, now they are really moving along better in most places than anyone could have guessed.

@hello321 MA just announced new roll outs and all will be eligible by April 19 with intermediate steps before that. 12 percent of the state are fully vaccinated which is in line with most states.

In New Jersey, it’s been hard for many to get appointments initially but it has opened up a great deal just in the past few weeks as more vaccine and more providers have been available.

I have heard of a few line cutters – not many – and it bothers me to the extent that the truly needing might not get theirs but I haven’t heard of that many. I think the problem is more that the middle class and computer savvy are getting appointments while the underserved are lagging nationally.

I’ve recently been hearing about local cities and townships partnering with providers to make vaccines available for their residents.

Of course, national planning and a national healthcare system might have helped although looking at the problems in Europe, not necessarily.

@elbanditoroso I really wasn’t asking about my governor, I was asking your opinion. When I asked about it a couple of months ago several people ripped me up that it is a NATIONAL program and anyone should be able to get a vaccination anywhere when it came to people out of state. Here is the Q As far as out of country, I guess we could argue the same, it is a world pandemic, but it is slightly different in that the US paid for the vaccine for people who live here, although, maybe they are altruistic enough to think America can afford to vaccinate anyone who wants one who is here.

If Georgia was getting vacation dollars and had over a half a million people come into the state every year who are of age for the vaccine (I have seen stats as high as a million snowbirds a year) maybe your governor would have done the same as mine. Not saying it is good, just saying it is easy to compare when Florida is in a different situation. Apples and oranges. I think your governor was terrible handling covid, but that’s not the question. Maybe he’s done ok with vaccines, I don’t know. Arizona and Texas might be similar to Florida with people coming to get the vaccine.

My mother is the happy recipient of Moderna shot #1 as of this morning. :)

@hello321 Wonderful!

@hello321 Yahoo!

Here in my part of the world( Canada) we have schedule appointments and they will only take those at that time.
I am scheduled to receive mine this Friday ( March 19,2021) even though I shutter to think of side effects in the long term?
I live in a seniors apartment building and all are getting this vaccine in order to live here for the safety of all.

I agree completely with @hello321 I don’t care. It’s like a swiss cheese brick. The faster the holes are filled the harder it will be for the virus to pass through the brick.

Thank you all, I’m appreciating this conversation and the different perspectives.

And congrats to your mom, @hello321!!

I’d rather see someone get a vaccination who is not in an “eligible” group than to see doses of the vaccine wasted.

I have no clue how it’s working elsewhere but right now there is an open, no appointment needed, vaccine clinic being held in Anchorage, AK. The requirements here as of a couple weeks ago are simply to be 16 or older, so it should be busy. As for jumping your place in line, I don’t recall any stories of that being an issue here. I mean, we had medical staff delivering shots to those in remote villages off the road system(which is a huge chunk of Alaska) via plane, boat, snow machine and even dog team in one instance. Our state health director worked closely with the Native Alaskan health services and, when possible, military health personnel, so teamwork has paid off.