When it became clear that there would be little progress, “we had to look for it,” he said.
In early February, with six inches of fresh snow on the ground and an almost impassable pile at the base of his garage, he said a Rite Aid called with the news that they had an extra shot.
“I said, I’m going to take it,” said Dr. Shah, who took his second dose on Tuesday. “Come rain, shine, come snow, I’ll be there.”
But leftovers are getting harder and harder to find. More people are looking, and extras are shrinking as pharmacies and public health agencies improve on combining the bottles available each day with their list of appointments.
Vaccine teams in Fairfax County, Virginia, fill individual syringes from a shared supply of vaccines to ensure they don’t open new vials later in the day. Several cities have created special lists of leftovers to offer doses to police, teachers or the elderly. Columbus, Ohio, said its “no waste” list of 250 people is full.
At Discount Drug Mart, a chain of 76 pharmacies in Ohio, vaccination teams add up their doses against no-shows throughout the day and start reaching the 25 people on their rotating waiting lists earlier. Rarely, someone waiting in the parking lot at 9 pm or calling on a whim can get a vaccine.
“It’s a priority never to miss a dose,” said Jason Briscoe, the company’s director of pharmaceutical operations.
Often, the hunt means only days of frustration. Sara Stoltz spent days driving through Dallas trying to get a remaining dose for her 64-year-old mother. They are rejected at pharmacies whose waiting lists are already filled with 200 people. They stop at every Walmart they can, only to find that no one has missed an appointment.
“I keep hearing rumors,” said Stoltz, without a dose behind them. “It’s like one of those urban myths.”