Law student David MacMillan was just walking through a Giant grocery store in DC Friday night when the pharmacist flagged him and his friend down. Apparently, several first responders who were scheduled to get their Moderna Covid vaccines at that location had missed their appointments.
“She turned to us and was like, ‘Hey, I’ve got two doses of the vaccine and I’m going to have to throw them away if I don’t give them to somebody. We close in 10 minutes. Do you want the Moderna vaccine?” MacMillan told NBC.
Who would say no?
@justlydeserved #vaccine #Welcome2021 #bye2020 #covidvaccine #vaccinecoronavirus @dr.eric.b
So, by pure luck, MacMillan and his friend each received the first dose of the vaccine. Now they’re both scheduled to receive the second dose in a few weeks.
And yes, this could theoretically happen to you, too. Once unfrozen, the vaccine doses only last a few hours before they expire. The District’s health department doesn’t want any doses wasted. If a vaccine provider can’t line up a healthcare worker or first responder to receive an unused dose at the last minute, then city guidelines call for the shot to be given to anyone who happens to be in the vicinity.
Jane is a Chicago transplant who now calls Cleveland Park her home. Before joining Washingtonian, she wrote for Smithsonian Magazine and the Chicago Sun-Times. She is a graduate of Northwestern University, where she studied journalism and opera.
