COVID-19 fighters hunt, wait and hope in Los Angeles

SANTA FE SPRINGS, California (Reuters) – Jose Luis Espinoza has been chasing a COVID-19 vaccine for more than three weeks.

He had not hugged his 98-year-old father for a long time, hoping a vaccine would change it. Last week, he struck gold in Santa Fe Springs.

“It was the last dose they gave, and I was the lucky one,” the 68-year-old said.

The rush for residual vaccine doses is widespread and competitive in Los Angeles. The wait can last for hours outside a clinic or vaccination site, and most people are turned away without a shot.

Clinics have doses left over when people cancel their appointments on the spur of the moment or do not show up. Once opened, the vaccination vials have an expiration date: five days for the Pfizer vaccine and 30 days for the Moderna one.

“We need to make sure we’re going to get the vaccine out, that the people are enrolled and that the resources and the event are scheduled,” said Will Baker, clinic manager of the private ambulance service CARE Ambulance, stressing the importance of not spilling any of the precious doses.

‘NEVER GUARANTEED’

Vaccine hunters are criticized for getting doses when it is not their turn, and perhaps taking it away from someone who may need it more.

“I’m here hoping there’s a little more left,” said Cynthia Perez, 48, first to arrive when the Santa Fe Springs Clinic begins at 2 p.m.

‘So I’m not trying to cross the line. I just try to use any vaccines or doses that can be discarded, ”she said.

Perez said she had a child with asthma, and that she herself was weak, saying, “I try to go a little bit ahead and stay healthy.”

As the evening wore on, the row of riders outside the clinic grew, and Baker took down their details. Throughout the day, he counted the doses at each vaccination station, revised the list of appointments, and did math.

When the clinic closes at 6pm, and there was still a single shot left, he mentions Espinoza’s name.

“I went through the guidelines and I was looking for someone in line of 1A,” Baker explained, referring to the first category of vaccine award as recommended by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“We do have one person in the line who meets the 1A criteria, and we were able to get a vaccine today,” he said.

Then Baker went outside and told the rest of the queue there were no more doses for the day, apologized and thanked everyone for their patience.

Perez picks up her suitcase and goes home, disappointed but not deterred.

“You can not be upset. It was never guaranteed, “she said.