With Covid-19 vaccine lists in the millions, some skip the queue

Each state – and even some local jurisdictions – has established different rules for who is vaccinated first and where it is distributed. In addition to vaccine shortages, the lack of a centralized registration system has caused a scramble for dosing in many areas.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 35.2 million doses were administered in the United States on Thursday, out of approximately 57.5 million doses. Dispersion barriers inoculated at a slower rate than expected.

In Rhode Island, Attorney General Peter Neronha is investigating whether two health care networks vaccinated employees and others in accordance with state rules. “There has been particular concern about the vaccination of board members, trustees and administrative staff who are mainly teleworking,” he wrote to executives from Lifespan and Care New England in a letter discussing The Wall Street Journal.

“A small amount of bad optics can scare confidence in the system,” he said. Neronha, a Democrat, said in an interview. “In Rhode Island, which has a reputation for being the ultimate ‘know a’ state because it’s so small and no one ever leaves, the lack of trust is really exacerbated.”

Lifespan said board members were offered vaccinations the second weekend in January, when the health system was eligible for employees who did not communicate with patients and for volunteers. ‘We have worked closely with [the state Department of Health] and followed their guidance closely from the beginning, ”said a spokesperson. Care New England did not comment.

A State Health Department spokesman said hospitals may vaccinate their entire organization, including radiology staff, off-site staff and volunteers, noting that they are ‘active in the operation of a hospital’.

Jay Egge, an 84-year-old pensioner in Barrington, RI, said it angered him to hear from hospital trustees and councilors who had received shots. He said he had no luck getting vaccinated, despite a number of medical ailments that make him very vulnerable to Covid-19.

‘When I’m in a row trying to get my fried mussel sandwich and an idiot jumps in front of me, I do not like it. It’s just the same thing, ”he said. But when it comes to Covid-19, “I’m afraid of survival.”

Some officials said because the rollout involved so many jurisdictions with different rules, timelines and supplies, it was impossible for states or the federal government to ensure that everyone complied with the rules.

“We are not the vaccine police,” said Max Reiss, a spokesman for Democrat Gov. Ned Lamont. “We rely heavily on local suppliers to make sure they vaccinate the people at greatest risk in their communities.”

Stacey Griffith, a SoulCycle instructor, spoke on social media after identifying herself as an educator so she could be vaccinated at a clinic in Staten Island, NY, and then posted her chance on Instagram.

“I made a terrible mistake and I’m sorry about that,” she posted on February 1. She did not respond to requests for comment. A SoulCycle spokesman said the company does not encourage its employees to seek vaccines as educators.

“It does not sound like someone had to be vaccinated for me,” New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said at a news conference on Ms. Griffith.

After judges and staff at the Reno, Nev. Municipal Court received vaccinations at a medical clinic, Douglas Thornley, city manager, said the court staff used personal relationships to indicate the guidelines in Nevada.

“It is unscrupulous to me that anyone will put their interests first before those who need the vaccine: among them our health workers, first responders and the elderly who are 70 years and older,” he said in a statement. “For groups at risk, the vaccine could mean life or death.”

The judge involved in securing the shots did not respond to requests for comment.

In DeKalb County, Ga., Which includes part of Atlanta and part of its suburbs, health workers found that some people who issued QR codes enabled them to sign up for a vaccine appointment, then shared it with friends, S. Elizabeth said. Ford, the district health director of the province.

“They brag about it on social media,” she said in an interview. “I was shocked.”

Hundreds of people have been with copies of the QR codes to vaccination centers in the country and claim that they are properly registered, said dr. Ford said. Farmers crossed codes with cross-references with actual registrations and withheld shots from people who did not have approval.

Aside from questions about legality and fairness, the line cut undermines public confidence in this historic explosion of vaccines, said Ruth Faden, biomedical ethicist at Johns Hopkins University.

“This is part of the reason why people should not use their social advantage and their power because it undermines the whole system,” she said. “Why should I follow the rules when rich people, connected people, powerful people break the rules?”

—Katie Honan contributed to this article.

Write to Scott Calvert at [email protected] and Cameron McWhirter at [email protected]