Judging by how the coronavirus vaccine roll-out has gone so far, we might be in for a long year in 2021, y’all…
According to news reports, there have been major issues all over the country with getting the vaccine distributed and injected into people on the priority list — like, ya know, healthcare workers and senior citizens who appear to be particularly sensitive to the virus’ dangerous effects.
Related: Thank Dolly Parton For The Vaccine, Y’all! Seriously, This Is AWESOME!
But now, we’re learning that a lot of the priority list health care workers have been no-shows, leaving un-used vaccine doses just waiting around to spoil!
According to TMZ, the Men’s Health Clinic in Inglewood, California, has been leading the charge inoculating people in the Los Angeles area who are on the priority list — again, mostly health care workers. But while the clinic has been taking appointments from those health care workers to come in and get vaccinated, apparently “a large number” of those people have “ended up being no-shows” and missed their appointments. WTF?!
The danger here is that it has left large amounts of the vaccine’s dosed-out vials “within hours away from spoiling.” So, the clinic did something smart: they put together a waiting list for people who might not be health care workers, but were “eager to get vaccinated” and were able to use the doses.
Last Tuesday, for example, a clinic staffer told the media outlet that they ended the day with “more than 150 unused vials that were about to spoil.” So, instead of throwing away the valuable doses, they stayed at the clinic until nearly midnight vaccinating people who showed up. Smart to use it and help people rather than waste it!!
And that’s where Lisa Vanderpump comes in, BTW. The reality TV star showed up in line with her husband, Ken Todd. Lisa did not get vaccinated, but Ken did — his doctor reportedly told him to go to the clinic and get in line, since he’s 75 years old and has several underlying health conditions.
Which is GOOD! If health care workers can’t/won’t take the vaccine for whatever reason, at least it’s going to people in need, and Ken appears to have been one of the people to reap the benefits of that. No complaints here, good for him, and better to actually use the doses for good than let them go to waste! (BTW, you can see pics of Lisa waiting outside the clinic HERE.)
Related: Andew Lloyd Webber Did His Part In Experimental COVID Vaccine Trials!
The larger problem with all this is that the Centers for Disease Control has done such a bad job with the roll-out nationwide, that each county and health department has kind of been left out on their own. There are different policies and different situations at different places, with county guidelines, state guidelines, and national guidelines that all sometimes come into conflict with each other. And they are confusing, county health care workers tell TMZ. Ugh!!!!
Clearly, this whole thing is going to take a while to get smoothed out and streamlined. Buckle up and STAY SAFE, y’all. It looks like it’s going to be a long year…
[Image via Judy Eddy/WENN/Avalon]