A group of health workers in Oregon, stuck in the snow, have decided to offer coronavirus vaccinations to their fellow stranded drivers to avoid wasting their doses of medicine.
As the New York Times reports, Michael Weber, director of public health in Josephine County, Oregon, finds himself in the middle of the highway during the blizzard. He and a group of public health workers took doses of the Moderna vaccine to Grants Pass, about 30 miles from the site.
When the group of health workers realized that they would be sitting in the road for hours, they decided to offer the vaccine to those who were also stranded around them. Weber told the Times that most drivers laughed and turned down the shot because of the unusual nature of the situation. According to Weber, a doctor and an ambulance were present to oversee the administration.
“We had one person who was so happy, he took off his shirt and jumped out of the car,” Weber said.
“It was a strange conversation,” Weber added. “Imagine you were caught in a snowstorm along the road and let someone walk by and say, ‘Hey. Do you want a shot in the arm? ”
Six doses of the vaccine were eventually administered to the snow bath, the Times reported.
“Honestly, once we knew we would not be back in town in time to use the vaccine, it was just the obvious choice,” Weber said, adding that it was “one of the coolest surgeries.”
“Our number 1 rule now is that nothing is wasted.”
The Hill reached out to Josephine County Public Health for more details on the story.
According to data from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), about 600,000 doses have been distributed to Oregon so far with more than 325,000 doses.