Weekend discussion topic: jumping tiers for CV vax UPDATED: appointments releasing in ten minutes!

[AmandaVT]

2 hours ago, Ordinary Shoes said:

I have mixed feelings about this. I work for a healthcare provider but am not patient facing. I just heard that a co-worker, who is also not patient facing, got the vaccine at one of the distribution sites. He said they didn't ask if he was patient facing. All he had to provide was the name of his employer. It gave me pause and I briefly considered doing the same thing but decided that I couldn't go through with it. 

But on the other hand, my employer has the vaccine and is offering it to back office employees when there are extra doses. If that becomes available for me, I'd take it without a second thought. I wouldn't see that as tier-jumping because I would only be offered the vaccine if it was an extra dose that would go waste. 

 

The department of health called the counseling company I worked for and requested that every employee come in for a vaccine. I think (not totally sure, but this is my guess) that they want to get companies back up and running as normally as possible as soon as possible. Also, it helps with organization. They don't have to call us or make an announcement a second time later to say that all non client facing employees are eligible. 

Health care workers were first here and front line workers. Then we did a strictly age band thing for awhile. They are finishing 65+ now and moving to both teachers and school staff as well as 16-64 with pre-existing conditions. @Quill - former cancer may be a pre-existing condition. I believe it is in VT. 

[happi duck]

I think I've decided to be patient and wait for an appointment through my doctor.  My area is currently out of vaccine for first doses.  

I'm hoping that the new one dose vaccine greatly speeds everything up!

I don't think cheating is ever a kind thing to do but taking a dose at the end of the day isn't cheating. 

[KathyBC]

Canada is definitely behind other G7 nations for vaccine supply, but I'm happy with the roll out plan our province is using, once we actually start making progress. We've had one couple famously trying to jump the queue, but that's it AFAIK. Otherwise, I don't know that it's even possible.

 

[rebcoola]

I think lying to jump tier is wrong. 

I do happily drive over to our mass vaccination site when I can and sit in the overflow line as anyone can do in hopes of getting my shot early.  I don't feel bad about that because they only give them if it's your arm or the garbage. They do all appointments first, than eligible non - appointments than first come first serve.

[vonfirmath]

10 hours ago, TheReader said:

I have mixed feelings about this. 

A county near me (a 2-ish hour drive...) has excess vaccine, so opened up all tiers, and you do not have to be a resident of their county to sign up (since these are federally distributed vaccines).  We signed up (although the website is glitchy, so I'm not 100% confident the appts are really there).  

On the one hand-- we are within the open tiers at that location. On the other hand -- in our own county, we'd be tier jumping (some of us). 

At this point, with distribution increasing so rapidly, it bothers me way less than it would have/did in the beginning (ex: a friend works at a hospital, but is/has been/will continue working from home, and even when friend is "on campus" at the hospital, has zero patient contact at all.......yet, friend's hospital made the vaccine available to all employees, period, even when the state designation for that tier was healthcare workers with patient contact; that irked me, because at the same time, my grandma could not find the vaccine anywhere, even though she's 85 and owns an art gallery so is interacting with the public daily.....).

So, early days when people in the correct tier couldn't find the vaccine w/o searching seemingly zillions of websites, calling around, etc., waiting weeks to get called.......I would not have signed my family up in the other county before first making sure people I knew in the "right" tier were signed up ahead of us. 

These days, everyone I know who is in the "right" tiers, is already vaccinated or halfway there (first dose, waiting on 2nd).  Or is refusing to get it, but has had the chance.  So at this point, taking advantage (not lying, but utilizing an appt at a county with excess that has opened their distribution to all tiers) of an opportunity to get it, even though for most of my family it's "not their turn" -- we feel pretty guilt free about that. (and are sharing the info with folks local who may be willing to drive). 

Similarly, those in the right tiers now (at least by us) can get an appt easily -- the day after it was announced that teachers were eligible, I was able to sign up through CVS, for a location only about 20 mins from me. My mom who had been waiting on her city list, but not the county list, enrolled with the county and signed up through CVS, got an appt with CVS and an email from the county just moments later (whereas, when my grandma signed up with the county a few weeks ago, she didn't hear back for a few days).

So.....at this point, it seems like not too long before the next tiers will open, and so not nearly as irksome as it would have been in the early days of distribution. 

Where did you hear the county has excess? I know Austin Public Health keeps dealing with people claiming they can't get enough people to take their doses and exposing a private link (in public groups on Facebook) -- and then having them show up on vaccine day. It happened earlier this week and I've seen signs it's happening again.

 

Edited March 7, 2021 by vonfirmath

[Guest]

3 hours ago, AmandaVT said:

The department of health called the counseling company I worked for and requested that every employee come in for a vaccine. I think (not totally sure, but this is my guess) that they want to get companies back up and running as normally as possible as soon as possible. Also, it helps with organization. They don't have to call us or make an announcement a second time later to say that all non client facing employees are eligible. 

Health care workers were first here and front line workers. Then we did a strictly age band thing for awhile. They are finishing 65+ now and moving to both teachers and school staff as well as 16-64 with pre-existing conditions. @Quill - former cancer may be a pre-existing condition. I believe it is in VT. 

When I looked on the appointment site Friday, it had cancer category as, “actively treating current cancer,” so I don’t think I qualify through that condition in MD right now. 

You know, this thread is making me wonder about going to another state near-ish by that has a more vaccine-avoidant population, because for me, that might be West Virginia. I don’t know if that’s allowed/never allowed or whatever. But I do wonder if it might be more possible to get vaccinated there, if the population is refusing. 

I know for a while, some people were going all the way to Florida from here because FL was allowing it - if you are willing to get in line, you can get a vax. I think they may have curtailed that, though, and I don’t know if it’s true in other states. W.VA may not be getting much supply, either, due to a large rural population. 

[katilac]

7 hours ago, Danae said:

I think anyone who qualifies, even “technically qualifies, but” should get vaccinated as soon as they can.  
 

This. If you qualify, get the vaccine. If you are randomly offered due to extra doses, get the vaccine. Overthinking it isn't going to help anyone. Tell the truth and accept it when offered. 

3 hours ago, Quill said:

He didn’t at the time, but in a remarkable twist of fate, I just learned today that his brother, who cares for their very elderly, frail mom, just tested positive. So mama is going to stay with the vaccinated “tier-jumper” son for a few weeks. Funny how stuff works out. 

Yes. Perfect example of why you shouldn't overthink it if you are eligible. 

Get the new jab, get the new jab, get the nee-eee-w jab . . . 

[Pawz4me]

13 minutes ago, Quill said:

When I looked on the appointment site Friday, it had cancer category as, “actively treating current cancer,” so I don’t think I qualify through that condition in MD right now. 

You know, this thread is making me wonder about going to another state near-ish by that has a more vaccine-avoidant population, because for me, that might be West Virginia. I don’t know if that’s allowed/never allowed or whatever. But I do wonder if it might be more possible to get vaccinated there, if the population is refusing. 

I know for a while, some people were going all the way to Florida from here because FL was allowing it - if you are willing to get in line, you can get a vax. I think they may have curtailed that, though, and I don’t know if it’s true in other states. W.VA may not be getting much supply, either, due to a large rural population. 

At one point early on/a few weeks ago West Virginia was leading the nation as far as getting their vaccine doses into arms. I don't know if that's changed, though.

[Annie G]

Totally fine w anyone who qualifies getting vaccinated. The sooner we all are, the better. 
However, I feel like in our area things aren’t being done fairly.  There are several counties who have teamed together to get this done. you register and when your group comes up, they contact you.  My beef is that in the neighboring county (part of our team of counties), the vaccination rate is almost THREE TIMES the rate as in our county.  And no, our county isn’t wasting vaccines, and has a long waitlist.  It’s just so frustrating because Georgia is opening up the next sub tier and in our county only 5.5% are vaccinated.  unacceptable. 

[vonfirmath]

4 hours ago, Bootsie said:

I have concerns that the people I know that have had the most difficulty getting vaccinated are over 65, retired, but in relatively good health, so not in an institutionalized setting.  Most of the people I have known who have been able to get a vaccine have been able to do so through their employer even though they may be totally working from home. 

My parents doctor contacted them to get an invite at a vaccination clinic run by the medical system.

[Pam in CT]

re West Virginia's leadership, thus far at least, in deploying vaccine all the way into arms

1 hour ago, Quill said:

When I looked on the appointment site Friday, it had cancer category as, “actively treating current cancer,” so I don’t think I qualify through that condition in MD right now. 

You know, this thread is making me wonder about going to another state near-ish by that has a more vaccine-avoidant population, because for me, that might be West Virginia. I don’t know if that’s allowed/never allowed or whatever. But I do wonder if it might be more possible to get vaccinated there, if the population is refusing. 

I know for a while, some people were going all the way to Florida from here because FL was allowing it - if you are willing to get in line, you can get a vax. I think they may have curtailed that, though, and I don’t know if it’s true in other states. W.VA may not be getting much supply, either, due to a large rural population. 

 

1 hour ago, Pawz4me said:

At one point early on/a few weeks ago West Virginia was leading the nation as far as getting their vaccine doses into arms. I don't know if that's changed, though.

West Virginia continues to kick all the other stately butts on this.  I've read a number of articles on their (to me at least) unexpected success in rolling the vaccine out in (what I expected to be) a comparatively vaccine-hesitant population. The two elements that they did differently than most other states are 1) they did not sign up for the Big Chain pharmacy program with CVS/Walgreen/Walmart, but rather relied on independent pharmacies that already had existing relationships with nursing homes and long term care facilities to reach the oldest populations; and 2) mobilized the National Guard from the outset in getting vaccines to rural areas where facilities for the cold storage logistics were difficulty.

[KungFuPanda]

I think this is going to be a lot like the TP shortage early in the pandemic . . . a lot of panic, elbows thrown, and people feeling really super special because of their clever workaround or connection who got them in.  The Blessed Bragging has already begun. Eventually, the floodgates will open and you can get in and out like a regular flu shot.  We're going to have to just cool our heels until it calms down.  Covid is just too dangerous for DS to risk any sort of crowd, but I fully understand that the vaccination tiers have nothing to do with the health of the individual.    If the projected May dates are a real thing, I can wait a few more weeks and not enter the mosh pit.  

[KungFuPanda]

9 hours ago, Thatboyofmine said:

From what I can tell, he'd be in phase 1c (age 16-64 with underlying conditions).   I'd also be in that group, as well, if not for having a T1D kid.  So maybe I'll wait for that?  I'd feel guilty if I get the vax and he doesn't have it yet.   I don't know when that phase starts...  trying to figure it out.  Georgia couldn't make this more confusing if they tried.  

I think it gets confusing discussing the phases here because they're not the same from state to state.  In MD, this is a Phase 2 person and the family caregivers aren't necessarily lumped in with that group.  Ds will finally be eligible in Phase 2 "because of increased risk of severe Covid-19 due to comorbidities," but I'm in Phase 3 with the young, healthy people.

 

 

[kokotg]

3 minutes ago, KungFuPanda said:

I think it gets confusing discussing the phases here because they're not the same from state to state.  In MD, this is a Phase 2 person and the family caregivers aren't necessarily lumped in with that group.  Ds will finally be eligible in Phase 2 "because of increased risk of severe Covid-19 due to comorbidities," but I'm in Phase 3 with the young, healthy people.

 

 

And our governor announced that he's throwing out the phases altogether in favor of...whatever he feels like doing this week? That's why I'm going out of state--I'd be fine waiting if I had any idea when my turn would be. After this past year, though, I am all about taking control of any little thing I can take control of.

[KungFuPanda]

5 minutes ago, kokotg said:

And our governor announced that he's throwing out the phases altogether in favor of...whatever he feels like doing this week? That's why I'm going out of state--I'd be fine waiting if I had any idea when my turn would be. After this past year, though, I am all about taking control of any little thing I can take control of.

I can't even listen to his briefings anymore.  He did really well at the beginning of this crisis, but someone flipped his MAGA switch and I am just DONE with him.  I do get that the supply is out of his hands, but forcing unvaccinated teachers into the buildings this close to the prize was just weird.  This is what Maryland tiers look like, but I guess this is out the window now.  I think we have a population that overwhelmingly WANTS to be vaccinated and we're probably getting the same  number of vaccines per capita as states with populations that have very low trust for the vaccine. This note at the bottom of the Maryland Covid site: 

At this time, the federal government is giving the state approximately 14,000 doses/day for over 2 million people who are eligible. Supply is very limited.

[Annie G]

32 minutes ago, KungFuPanda said:

Eventually, the floodgates will open and you can get in and out like a regular flu shot.  We're going to have to just cool our heels until it calms down.  Covid is just too dangerous for DS to risk any sort of crowd, but I fully understand that the vaccination tiers have nothing to do with the health of the individual.    If the projected May dates are a real thing, I can wait a few more weeks and not enter the mosh pit.  

I think you’re right. but I do have some concerns.  Dd lives in the same state I do, but in a different area. Their health department has scaled back covid testing to two days a week w appointment only, because they’re doing vaccines instead. It’s an area that has struggled with high covid rates because so many didn;t want to mask or social distance. So now the infection rate is climbing. To get a test on other days you have to drive ‘over the mountain’. 
Our doc, dad’s doc, and dd’s doc and kids’ pediatrician have no plans to offer the vaccine, relying on the health department or places like CVS. Right now the CVS/Publix, etc have no vaccines. I really hope the health departments in our counties don’t stop vaccinating too soon even when the pharmacies and grocery stores have a supply. There’s a need for health departments in these rural counties to continue to vaccinate until everyone is served. 

[J-rap]

To be honest, it doesn't bother me too much.  I get way more upset about people who don't plan to be vaccinated at all (for no good reason really, or they assume God will personally protect them from getting Covid). 

 

[KungFuPanda]

8 minutes ago, Annie G said:

I think you’re right. but I do have some concerns.  Dd lives in the same state I do, but in a different area. Their health department has scaled back covid testing to two days a week w appointment only, because they’re doing vaccines instead. It’s an area that has struggled with high covid rates because so many didn;t want to mask or social distance. So now the infection rate is climbing. To get a test on other days you have to drive ‘over the mountain’. 
Our doc, dad’s doc, and dd’s doc and kids’ pediatrician have no plans to offer the vaccine, relying on the health department or places like CVS. Right now the CVS/Publix, etc have no vaccines. I really hope the health departments in our counties don’t stop vaccinating too soon even when the pharmacies and grocery stores have a supply. There’s a need for health departments in these rural counties to continue to vaccinate until everyone is served. 

That would be tough.    Our  infrastructure seems to be in place and ramping up quickly, but they just don't have enough doses to meet that need.   It sounds like your state would be best served by the rural model that WV is using.  I'd love to get my vaccine at Walgreens when its my turn, but they're only a mile away.  The hospital is 3 miles, so either way the location isn't a hardship.  My mom lives in WV and she got her first dose without having to scramble too much for a local appointment.

[Bootsie]

2 hours ago, vonfirmath said:

My parents doctor contacted them to get an invite at a vaccination clinic run by the medical system.

I know that is happening in some places, but it isn't happening locally.  People over 65 could sign up with the county and with their local health care provider to be on a waiting list.  FEMA is running the large vaccination centers and prioritizing particular zip codes.  Once FEMA came in, it is my understanding that the allocation of vaccines to county health systems, the medical school, and other local facilities was greatly reduced, in many cases all the way down to zero.  The FEMA zip code prioritization is supposed to be based upon the zips with the highest number of cases in the past 30 days and under-testing.  That doesn't really make sense because this is a metropolitan area without discrete delineation in zip codes.  It is easy for someone to live in one zip code, shop in a second zip code, have kids go to school in a third zip code, and mom and dad each work in two different zip codes.  

[vonfirmath]

4 minutes ago, Bootsie said:

I know that is happening in some places, but it isn't happening locally.  People over 65 could sign up with the county and with their local health care provider to be on a waiting list.  FEMA is running the large vaccination centers and prioritizing particular zip codes.  Once FEMA came in, it is my understanding that the allocation of vaccines to county health systems, the medical school, and other local facilities was greatly reduced, in many cases all the way down to zero.  The FEMA zip code prioritization is supposed to be based upon the zips with the highest number of cases in the past 30 days and under-testing.  That doesn't really make sense because this is a metropolitan area without discrete delineation in zip codes.  It is easy for someone to live in one zip code, shop in a second zip code, have kids go to school in a third zip code, and mom and dad each work in two different zip codes.  

This is pretty much what happens here (people living, shopping, working in different Zip Codes

In fact my parents live rural so their medical provider is in a different zip code from where they live.

[Wheres Toto]

9 hours ago, Bootsie said:

I know that is happening in some places, but it isn't happening locally.  People over 65 could sign up with the county and with their local health care provider to be on a waiting list.  FEMA is running the large vaccination centers and prioritizing particular zip codes.  Once FEMA came in, it is my understanding that the allocation of vaccines to county health systems, the medical school, and other local facilities was greatly reduced, in many cases all the way down to zero.  The FEMA zip code prioritization is supposed to be based upon the zips with the highest number of cases in the past 30 days and under-testing.  That doesn't really make sense because this is a metropolitan area without discrete delineation in zip codes.  It is easy for someone to live in one zip code, shop in a second zip code, have kids go to school in a third zip code, and mom and dad each work in two different zip codes.  

Zip codes doesn't make sense to me at all, but I live where there are 55 zip codes just in my county which I can drive to any point except a couple really rural outlying ones in less than 15 minutes.   I can be in 4 or 5 other counties within 30 minutes. 

[TheReader]

14 hours ago, vonfirmath said:

Where did you hear the county has excess? I know Austin Public Health keeps dealing with people claiming they can't get enough people to take their doses and exposing a private link (in public groups on Facebook) -- and then having them show up on vaccine day. It happened earlier this week and I've seen signs it's happening again.

 

It's not Austin...are people just randomly showing up? Or does their appointment-making-system not ask the right questions? Or they are lying on that and then claiming "well, you had excess, so...."?   

But it was in a FB group that the link was shared, along with a link to the post from the county themselves, and then when you go through the sign-up portal, some of the cities w/in the county are open (they do not ask you to mark what priority group you are in, but do ask for your birthdate and address, presumably so they can filter & make sure you are age-eligible for whichever vaccine they have). Some of the cities in the county do not have excess, so still also have the questions about which priority group you are in. 

But the system for this county, at least, is a multi-step sign-up -- you have to sign up with name, bday, address, and then it sends you a link with a password to make the appointment itself, and then it confirms that, and then you have the appointment. So, many opportunities for their sign-up to kick you out/reject you if you don't qualify......which it seems to not be doing.  (it could easily kick you out for an address outside the county, or a bday showing you are too young; it hasn't done so in our case). 

I did verify via the county website/FB post, though, that it wasn't just some weird work-around being shared. But the county had posted themselves saying it was available.  (it's over by Beaumont...). We will call and confirm as well before driving out there, because like I said, we are not interested in lying to get it......but if it's available, we'll take it. Similar to folks going/calling pharmacies and asking about end-of-day excess that has to be used, or volunteers at vaccine distribution sites being given it outside their priority group, etc. 

ETA: if you know of this being wrong/fraudulent/not really true, I'd definitely appreciate info on that; we absolutely do not want to get this in any kind of unauthorized way.  But I did track it down back to the county in question to confirm for myself, vs. just jump on a posted link.  (the link was in a "vaccines in houston" FB group, and the link to *that* group was in an Aggie Parents group).

Edited March 7, 2021 by TheReader

[AmandaVT]

18 hours ago, Pam in CT said:

CT this week jettisoned all plans for future tiers, and instituted access on a purely age-based system. There were a couple of reasons to do so -- I think the determinative reasons were that other tier categoires were introducing a level of complexity/ related roll-out costs and difficulty in documentation of the categories/ related equity issues... both of which were slowing the rollout down... but resentment about tier-jumping may also have been a concern.

Now, all anybody has to demonstrate is their age/ date of birth. A very wide range of documentation of age is accepted. No discretion, no subjectivity, no doctor notice, just age. The idea is to zoom through the age ranges as fast as possible (the current expectation is that the current tier, teachers (who were already tagged in the prior rollout) and 55+, will be done by 3/22; then there will be an expected 3 weeks for 45+, then another 3 weeks for 35+, then everyone 16+ by May 3.

So far only Maine has joined us in this route, but on balance at this point -- now that the elderly cohort where the death & complication rate is so high has had their chance -- it does seem to me to be better to get AS MANY PEOPLE WHO ARE GAME AS POSSIBLE, AS FAST AS POSSIBLE than to mess with other hurdles and all the associated complexity and resentment.

VT's governor was getting a bit of heat in the beginning - we've done age bands since the start (after front line health care workers) and he's been making comments recently that other states were switching to the age band plan. I was wondering if he was just trying to save face - but it sounds like it's true. Honestly, the age band thing made me a bit twitchy at first, but it runs really smoothly and we're working through bands quickly. 

[Dmmetler]

One nice thing about age bands-almost everyone has ID showing their age. Proof of status is a problem when you're dealing with qualifying based on employment or medical conditions. In my area, that seems to have resulted in most sites saying you need ID, but not actually looking at it. 

[Jann in TX]

Until recently it was virtually impossible to get an appointment within 2 hours of where we live in Central Texas (tier 1b)--DH and I tried over and over every day.  Two weeks ago DH found  vaccinefinder.org and he was able to get a shot the next day--and a few days later for me.  DD2 also qualifies for 1b and we were able to get her in for this past week as well-- her's was at a mass vaccination site in Schertz, TX.  We had to drive about 15 minutes but no big deal-- they were so well organized!  She was in and out in 20 minutes.

Dh and I used CVS locations (both also in Schertz-- our city is larger but has FEWER locations!)-- short wait time and efficient as well.

No bad reactions-- DH and DD had 'P' and has slightly sore arms.. I had 'M' and no issues.

 

[sassenach]

I'm still pissed that my HIGH risk disabled young adult isn't qualified but every other person in my house is. Why? Because they live and care for my high risk son. You read that right- the young disabled do not qualify but everyone who lives with a young disabled does. That's four vaccines to protect one person, while still not protecting the one person. It's the most asinine thing I've ever experienced. I legit feel bad that my 16 and 18yos are getting vaccinated before my parents (who are under 65). But it's the best way I have to protect my son right now, so that's what we're doing.

[vonfirmath]

12 hours ago, TheReader said:

It's not Austin...are people just randomly showing up? Or does their appointment-making-system not ask the right questions? Or they are lying on that and then claiming "well, you had excess, so...."?   

But it was in a FB group that the link was shared, along with a link to the post from the county themselves, and then when you go through the sign-up portal, some of the cities w/in the county are open (they do not ask you to mark what priority group you are in, but do ask for your birthdate and address, presumably so they can filter & make sure you are age-eligible for whichever vaccine they have). Some of the cities in the county do not have excess, so still also have the questions about which priority group you are in. 

But the system for this county, at least, is a multi-step sign-up -- you have to sign up with name, bday, address, and then it sends you a link with a password to make the appointment itself, and then it confirms that, and then you have the appointment. So, many opportunities for their sign-up to kick you out/reject you if you don't qualify......which it seems to not be doing.  (it could easily kick you out for an address outside the county, or a bday showing you are too young; it hasn't done so in our case). 

I did verify via the county website/FB post, though, that it wasn't just some weird work-around being shared. But the county had posted themselves saying it was available.  (it's over by Beaumont...). We will call and confirm as well before driving out there, because like I said, we are not interested in lying to get it......but if it's available, we'll take it. Similar to folks going/calling pharmacies and asking about end-of-day excess that has to be used, or volunteers at vaccine distribution sites being given it outside their priority group, etc. 

ETA: if you know of this being wrong/fraudulent/not really true, I'd definitely appreciate info on that; we absolutely do not want to get this in any kind of unauthorized way.  But I did track it down back to the county in question to confirm for myself, vs. just jump on a posted link.  (the link was in a "vaccines in houston" FB group, and the link to *that* group was in an Aggie Parents group).

Evidently with the AUstin Health thing, if you got this private link you had already been cleared to be in the 1B group. When people not eligible showed up, they ended up with way more people at the site than they expected -- so evidently managed to double book appointments or something? They refused to vaccinate those, even with appointments, who had not taken the health survey part.

[easypeasy]

In our area, there are a TON of opportunities/locations to get the vaccine. It's everywhere. I'm assisting some older folks make their appointments because most of the time, when they haven't been able to attain an appointment, it's not because of lack of vaccine, but a lack of filling out some somewhat pesky forms and CAPTCHA codes.

My dh was probably borderline, but he was borderline on three of the "approved" categories, so I encouraged him to go for it. The sooner he gets HIS vaccine, the sooner we can stop worrying about his health when he's working in small spaces with ppl who refuse to wear masks and aren't intending to get the vaccine anytime soon, even though many of the qualified for it ages ago.

Edited March 8, 2021 by easypeasy

[Shoeless]

17 hours ago, Jann in TX said:

Until recently it was virtually impossible to get an appointment within 2 hours of where we live in Central Texas (tier 1b)--DH and I tried over and over every day.  Two weeks ago DH found  vaccinefinder.org and he was able to get a shot the next day--and a few days later for me.  DD2 also qualifies for 1b and we were able to get her in for this past week as well-- her's was at a mass vaccination site in Schertz, TX.  We had to drive about 15 minutes but no big deal-- they were so well organized!  She was in and out in 20 minutes.

Dh and I used CVS locations (both also in Schertz-- our city is larger but has FEWER locations!)-- short wait time and efficient as well.

No bad reactions-- DH and DD had 'P' and has slightly sore arms.. I had 'M' and no issues.

 

Hello, neighbor! My DH got his shot at Schertz, too! I ended up going to the Alamodome to get my shots. 

[RootAnn]

I live within 45 minutes of three states other than the one I live in. I'm eligible in two neighboring states -- not sure about the third -- and not my own yet. It looks like they don't want residents of other states border-hopping because "IDs are checked" and "non-residents may have their appointments canceled."

Love the vaccinefinder.org site right now. My state's info is so confusing.

[Elizabeth86]

, I'm just glad to see people WANTING the vaccine.  Too many people I know still have the oh no hell no they ain't vaccinating me stance.  🤷‍♂️ 🤣

[ktgrok]

So, a local site was vaccinating college instructors too, not just K-12 yesterday. DH is a college teacher, and his boss said for him to go and try to get vaccinated. We shall see if they got in trouble for doing college level instructors and stopped, or are still doing it. If they say no, fine. IF they are truly vaccinating all instructors, he's ethically on the fence, but having his boss tell him to go, and knowing he has hypertension which has already put him in the hospital once, he's not turning down the opportunity. (He was in the ER for a "hypertensive crisis" that earned him a CT scan to look for brain bleeds - it was that high - about a year ago. He's much better on meds, but i isn't fully controlled all the time still)

[Amy in NH]

I haven't read the other replies yet.

I think the more people who are vaccinated, the better.  There are enough people eligible through the current tier system who won't get vaccinated or skip their appointment, that I'd rather those vaccines go to anyone than get destroyed for expiration.  I asked to be put on a list to be called to take unclaimed vaccinations, but I was told they wouldn't have enough vaccine for leftovers.  However, I've heard that when "they" run local vaccine clinics, people who aren't tier-eligible can show up at the end and get immunized with the leftovers. 

My mom (a retired RN) had an appointment to get her first dose at the end of this month.  Nevertheless, she went to a vaccination clinic and offered to assist in any way possible.  She was told they didn't need help, and they immunized her on the spot!  They even made her appointment for the second dose.

IMO, if there are enough leftovers to vaccinate people who just show up, a few tier-jumpers will only increase herd immunity without detracting from those who are eligible.

Edited March 8, 2021 by Amy in NH
clarity

[ktgrok]

They now have a stand by line at the mass vaccine site, for leftover vaccines. For anyone. They also are pretty much looking to vaccinate anyone they can - looking to say yes. So although technically the national plan is K-12, if you have any kind of education anything they are giving it. Part time tutor, college professor, etc. Lots of loopholes, and they are not caring. 

Not going to lie, if a homemade homeschool id will get me a vaccine, I'm getting one. 

Edited March 8, 2021 by ktgrok

[Ottakee]

7 minutes ago, ktgrok said:

They now have a stand by line at the mass vaccine site, for leftover vaccines. For anyone. They also are pretty much looking to vaccinate anyone they can - looking to say yes.

When my mom got hers last week they were calling and calling people trying to find enough to come in for the vaccine....as they had extra doses they needed to use up.

The issue was that so many people added spam blockers to their phones that the nurses couldn't get through to anyone.

[ktgrok]

3 minutes ago, Ottakee said:

When my mom got hers last week they were calling and calling people trying to find enough to come in for the vaccine....as they had extra doses they needed to use up.

The issue was that so many people added spam blockers to their phones that the nurses couldn't get through to anyone.

yeah, it's a very different situation than it was a few weeks ago when even the elderly couldn't get an appointment. 

Exploiting loopholes at this point, when we have a ton more here, and I have a son with two autoimmune diseases, one of which causes brain inflammation from immune activation during illness...I'm ok with it. 

[ktgrok]

Oh, and anyone medically vulnerable can now get vaccinated with a form signed by their doctor. IT doesn't specify any particular comorbidities, just doctor agreeing you are medically vulnerable. My friends with asthma have gotten them signed off on and vaccinated today. 

[Bootsie]

Where I am in Texas it is still very difficult for people over 65 to get an appointment for a vaccine.  DH is over 70 and has been on waiting list with his health care provider and the county since the lists opened; the numbers of people over 65 on those waiting lists to even get an appointment are in the hundreds of thousands.   There is a vaccine site in the parking lot at the university two blocks from us; because I work at the university I am on a list to be notified if there are any excess vaccines at the end of the day for people who can get there quickly--none have been available.  The notion that people over 65 have been able to be vaccinated and that there are just extra vaccines looking for arms is a localized phenomena.  

[Pam in CT]

re standby lines

1 hour ago, ktgrok said:

They now have a stand by line at the mass vaccine site, for leftover vaccines. For anyone. They also are pretty much looking to vaccinate anyone they can - looking to say yes. So although technically the national plan is K-12, if you have any kind of education anything they are giving it. Part time tutor, college professor, etc. Lots of loopholes, and they are not caring. 

Not going to lie, if a homemade homeschool id will get me a vaccine, I'm getting one. 

In CT, the municipal sites have standby on-call LISTS that you can put yourself on in advance, and they'll call you the night before/ during the day if it looks like they'll have excess. My husband and I -- who only became eligible last week -- put ourselves on several, and were called (the night prior) by one. We'd managed to get appointments through CVS by the time we got the call though.

[JennyD]

I am amazed at how many people I know have somehow managed to get vaccinated already -- some have been eligible, others have gotten leftover doses, and a few have (IMO) stretched the truth a bit.  Honestly, I'm just thrilled that so many people are getting vaccinated.  Every person vaccinated gets us a little bit closer to the end of this thing!

My state just opened up eligibility to everyone 16+ with a qualifying condition.  Conditions include obesity and hypertension, both of which are very common here, and it's all on the honor system.  One thing that IS irritating me is that this is being covered in the press as functionally opening up vaccination to all adults who want one badly enough.  I badly want a vaccine, but I'm not prepared to blatantly lie in order to get one.

 

 

[rebcoola]

I'm amazed at how many more people are eligible other places.  You still have to be over 65, a healthcare worker, or in a multigenerational household, healthcare workers, and now teachers.

53 minutes ago, JennyD said:

 

My state just opened up eligibility to everyone 16+ with a qualifying condition.  Conditions include obesity and hypertension, both of which are very common here, and it's all on the honor system.  One thing that IS irritating me is that this is being covered in the press as functionally opening up vaccination to all adults who want one badly enough.  I badly want a vaccine, but I'm not prepared to blatantly lie in order to get one.

 

 

 

[Toocrazy!!]

I'm in WV, and right now you have to be a WV resident to get vaccinated. They ask for WV license or proof of WV residence.

I am surprised WV is doing so well, and honestly that so many people want it. I think the demand will slow down soon though. I got lucky last week, when the health dept got double the doses they were supposed to. They found out in the morning and put out an all call to sign up. They had to be used, and it was a lot of last minute arranging to use them all up. My tier had just opened the day before, so technically I was eligible, but I did feel funny about it because I can see on Facebook older people still not getting their scheduled call through the Health Dept. I asked twice though, and was assured that this mass call was the only way they could use up that kind of overflow on such short notice. And they want as many people as possible vaccinated. 

 

 

[KathyBC]

Phone lines opened in our province today for 90+ age group. 1.4 million calls in the first 90 minutes, crashed the system. We don't have anywhere near that many 90+. So you probably can't jump the tiers, but apparently not for lack of trying.

[katilac]

16 minutes ago, KathyBC said:

Phone lines opened in our province today for 90+ age group. 1.4 million calls in the first 90 minutes, crashed the system. We don't have anywhere near that many 90+. So you probably can't jump the tiers, but apparently not for lack of trying.

Wow, just opened for 90+? That seems really late in the game! My state was doing 80+ (not in nursing homes) in January, and started 65+ in February. Everyone over 70 who wanted the vaccine has had both doses by now. 

I was hoping it was a typo, but you put it twice . . . 

[KathyBC]

32 minutes ago, katilac said:

Wow, just opened for 90+? That seems really late in the game! My state was doing 80+ (not in nursing homes) in January, and started 65+ in February. Everyone over 70 who wanted the vaccine has had both doses by now. 

I was hoping it was a typo, but you put it twice . . . 

Yup, short vaccine supply, hopefully things are rolling along now. We are about halfway through phase 2, high risk population, but that's not a large percentage of the population. With more vaccines approved, and a new plan to go 16 weeks between doses, they hope to have everyone with first shots by summer.

[Bootsie]

More Than 312 Million Shots Given: Covid-19 Vaccine Tracker (bloomberg.com)

This is an interesting map that shows the percent vaccinated by state.  It does not show, however, what the age breakdown by state is.  For example, over 20% of Maine's population is 65 or older and they have given vaccines (first dose)  to just over 21% of the population.  Only 15.2% of the residents of Texas have had the first dose, but only about 12% of the population is over 65.  

[Pawz4me]

I'm really surprised that so many here report being able to get leftover/unused vaccine. The slots around here all seem to get taken. From what I can tell it's relatively easy to get a slot, but there don't seem to be any extras left.

[Lecka]

Locally — I have heard about the leftovers happening on days with poor driving conditions and ice that is not usual here.  A lot of older people had to cancel their appointments. 

 

One day here there was a large event and then the weather was poor, and they decided to go ahead with the event.

 

The next week the same thing happened, but they postponed the event for weather, because the week before many people had to cancel and they scrambled to have people come in and get shots.  
 

But at that event — a lot of people did go and fill slots!  Like — hundreds of people. 
 

But it was also an unusual circumstance.  

[Tenaj]

Our state announced the age going down to 50 starting Thursday!  I was able to get an appointment for Thursday afternoon and my husband for Tuesday afternoon. (We decided to stagger just in case of reactions).  I got the last slot at our health department for Thursday.  Tuesday was empty when we signed up my husband.

[TheReader]

17 hours ago, Bootsie said:

Where I am in Texas it is still very difficult for people over 65 to get an appointment for a vaccine.  DH is over 70 and has been on waiting list with his health care provider and the county since the lists opened; the numbers of people over 65 on those waiting lists to even get an appointment are in the hundreds of thousands.   There is a vaccine site in the parking lot at the university two blocks from us; because I work at the university I am on a list to be notified if there are any excess vaccines at the end of the day for people who can get there quickly--none have been available.  The notion that people over 65 have been able to be vaccinated and that there are just extra vaccines looking for arms is a localized phenomena.  

has he tried going through CVS, HEB, Walmart, etc? So many pharmacies are offering it now, and they all refresh their appointment availability each morning (earlier is better). 

CVS in particular has availability all over the state, and especially if you are willing to drive a little ways (for instance, my mom had to drive about an hour to get hers), there are appointments to be had if you are in the currently authorized groups.