About 2.2 million vaccines are being administered every day. Eligibility varies widely by state, but some who hoped to win a dose managed to skip the waiting list.
The line outside a county-run vaccination site in River Grove, Illinois, had more than 50 people and was growing. Not a single person there had an appointment. Some are not even eligible. But they all had the same idea.
“To try to get a vaccine,” Dave Moore, one of the people waiting in line, told CBS News.
“They will come and let you know if there are any extras or anything,” said Amy Voyles, another person who hopes to receive the vaccine.
Between the limited offer and the challenges of signing up for an injection, until the precise expiration date of the refrigerated vaccine, those waiting in line wait for canceled appointments, no-shows and extra doses that can end up in the trash.
“We thought about trying,” Marley Berk told CBS News.
Some who decided to take a risk made the search for an extra dose an almost daily habit. “I came on Tuesday,” said Todd Nelson.
Voyles told CBS News that she appeared, “Saturday and every day of this week, except Monday.”
And medical experts agree, if you can get an injection, you must.
“I absolutely believe that the ethical requirement is never to miss a shot,” Dr. Arthur Caplan, director of medical ethics at the Grossman School of Medicine at New York University, told CBS News. “We don’t waste time talking about what to do with the surplus.”
In line at the vaccination site in Illinois, when the sun went down and more than three hours passed, those who waited received bad news: a nurse said to the group, “Hi, guys. We’re closed.”