Some enterprising Californians who are not yet eligible for a coronavirus vaccine – we are looking at you, relatively healthy ages between 16 and 64 – are finding ways to get them anyway. And they are not lying about being health professionals or dressing up as elderly people to do that.
In the coming weeks, millions more will become eligible – including people with certain disabilities and health problems starting on Monday. But even so, most Californians will be waiting – perhaps until the May 1 deadline for full eligibility set by President Biden on Thursday.
Feeling impatient? Here are some ways in which Golden State residents who don’t have priority access are getting shots now.
Volunteer at a vaccine clinic
California now allows volunteers at vaccine clinics to be vaccinated if they work shifts of at least four hours. You also don’t have to be a medical professional to volunteer. Sites need volunteers to help direct people to the right place, help with registration, and perform other tasks. You can sign up at myturnvolunteer.ca.gov. Volunteers will not necessarily have a chance on the day they help, but they can, if stock permits. Each clinic makes its own decisions about vaccinating volunteers.
At the moment, it does not appear that there are many – if any – volunteer vacancies open in the Bay Area. But Emily Matthews, a spokeswoman for the state’s volunteer office, said that “as vaccine supplies increase, we anticipate that more volunteer slots will become available. We encourage those who have signed up to check regularly. “
Bay Area counties also offer their own volunteer opportunities. Santa Clara County, for example, allows people who work three eight-hour shifts to be vaccinated. But the county says it is currently “packed” for volunteers. Contra Costa County has a similar requirement and says that after a break, it will begin accepting new volunteer applications on Monday. Check the details of your county.
Volunteer at a school
We are not suggesting that you suddenly decide to help your community just to get an injection, but some counties are allowing certain types of regular volunteers to be vaccinated. In San Francisco and San Mateo counties, for example, people who volunteer to train youth sports can receive a vaccine. Marin is also allowing some coaches to be vaccinated.
“Under the banner of education and child care, there may also be employees involved in after-school and youth programs,” said Laine Hendricks, a spokeswoman for Marin. “That said, a program would have to ensure that they were part of the team. An occasional volunteer or helper (I am a parent and occasionally help to collect sports equipment at the end of each game) would not make the cut. “
I understood! Not because of my essential worker status, but because of my volunteer work with schools and sports. Then #thankful! #vaccinated pic.twitter.com/ygAS1L3kJA
– Andrea Nakano (@AndreaKPIX) March 9, 2021
In San Mateo County, “anyone who works with students personally will be allowed to get vaccinated,” said Patricia Love, a spokeswoman for the county’s Office of Education.
Consult your county for details.
Join a waiting list
Social media is flooded with reports of people stealing remaining doses, when shortages fail to make precious appointments and the vaccine cannot be replenished in ultra-cool storage. It is difficult to say how accurate all these stories are, and many counties and vaccine providers say that if they have missed doses, they will call people who are already scheduled to come early. But there are still some waiting lists and waiting lists that certain people can join.
UC San Francisco, for example, maintains a waiting list for staff and students “given the frequent availability of some remaining doses of the COVID vaccine at the end of each day”. The school requires people to register by 3pm for appointments that start a few hours later, around 7pm.
Stanford Health Care also has a process for using any extra doses later in the day – although they say people must still meet eligibility requirements.
“This is available at each location for a maximum of 10 unscheduled individuals who meet the state’s current eligibility criteria and who are available to return within 30 minutes after being contacted at the end of the day to receive a vaccine if extra doses are available.” Stanford said in a statement. “We are also working to develop an automated stand-by programming process.”
Sign up for a vaccine compatibility service
A New York-based startup called Dr. B is helping to combine vaccine suppliers who have extra doses with people looking for an injection and are able to drop everything and get one quickly. It appears that many providers are not yet using the service, but the New York Times recently reported that hundreds of thousands of people have signed up in the event that a provider close to them makes a call to receive voluntary vaccines.
Be at the right pharmacy at the right time
Recently, a woman from San Mateo said she was able to get a vaccine at a nearby CVS when they took a few extra doses later in the day and sought her out, knowing that she was facing health problems that made her vulnerable.
In a statement, a CVS spokesman said: “In the case of unused doses in our pharmacies, our pharmacy teams will assess how to more effectively vaccinate eligible individuals with the remaining doses. This includes reaching eligible patients in their communities, as our pharmacies maintain patient profiles with information that can help identify who is eligible to be vaccinated. “
Although there are some reports of people who go to neighborhood drugstores while the sun goes down to get a coveted dose, pharmacies and health officials are asking people not to try this route to get the vaccine.