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Some enterprising Californians who aren’t yet eligible for a coronavirus vaccine – we’re looking at you, relatively healthy 16 to 64-year-olds – are finding ways to get them anyway. And they don’t lie about being healthcare workers or disguising themselves as seniors to do it.
In the coming weeks, millions more will become eligible – including people with certain disabilities and health conditions from Monday. But even then, most Californians will wait – perhaps until the May 1 deadline for full eligibility set by President Biden on Thursday.
Are you impatient? Here are a few ways Golden State residents who don’t have priority access get shot now.
Volunteer in a vaccination clinic
California now allows people who volunteer at vaccination clinics to be vaccinated if they work a shift of at least four hours. You also don’t need to be a medical worker to volunteer. Sites need volunteers to help direct people to the right place, help with registration, and complete other tasks. You can register at myturnvolunteer.ca.gov. Volunteers will not necessarily have a chance on the day they help, but if the offer allows. Each clinic makes its own decisions about the vaccinations of volunteers.
At this time, it doesn’t appear that there are many – if any – volunteer spots open in the Bay Area. But Emily Matthews, spokesperson for the state volunteer office, said that “as vaccine stocks increase, we anticipate that more and more volunteer sites will become available. We encourage those who have registered to come back regularly. “
The Bay Area counties also offer their own volunteer opportunities. Santa Clara County, for example, allows people who work three eight-hour shifts to get vaccinated. But the county says it is currently “at full capacity” for volunteers. Contra Costa County has a similar requirement and says after a hiatus it will start accepting new volunteer requests on Monday. Check your county for more details.
Volunteer in a school
We don’t suggest that you suddenly decide to help your community just to get the shot, but some counties allow certain types of regular volunteers to get the shot. In San Francisco and San Mateo counties, for example, people who volunteer to coach youth sports are eligible to receive a vaccine. Marin also allows some coaches to be vaccinated.
“Under the banner of education and child care, staff involved in after-school and youth programs may also fall,” said Laine Hendricks, spokesperson for Marin. “That being said, a program should ensure that they are on staff. A one-time or auxiliary volunteer (I am a parent and occasionally help collect sports equipment at the end of each game) would not make the cut. “
I get it! Not because of my status as an essential worker but because of my volunteer work with schools and sports. So #recognizing! #vaccinated pic.twitter.com/ygAS1L3kJA
– Andrea Nakano (@AndreaKPIX) March 9, 2021
In San Mateo County, “anyone working with students in person would be allowed to be vaccinated,” said Patricia Love, a spokesperson for the county’s education office.
Check with your county for details.
Join a waiting list
Social media is teeming with reports of people grabbing leftover doses, when precious appointments fail to show up on bail and vaccines cannot be restocked in ultra-cold warehouses. It’s hard to say how accurate all of these stories are, and many counties and vaccine vendors say if they have any remaining doses, they’re calling people who are already on the schedule to come early. But there are still waiting lists and waiting lists that some people can join.
UC San Francisco, for example, maintains a waiting list for employees and students “given the frequent availability of a few remaining doses of COVID vaccine at the end of each day.” The school requires people to register before 3 p.m. for appointments starting a few hours later, around 7 p.m.
Stanford Health Care also has a process for using any extra doses at the end of the day – although they say people should still meet the eligibility criteria.
“This is available at each site to no more than 10 unscheduled people who meet the state’s current eligibility criteria and who are available to return within 30 minutes of being contacted at the end of the day to receive a vaccine if additional doses are available, ”Stanford said in a statement. “We are also working to develop an automated process for availability planning.”
Register for a vaccine matching service
A New York-based startup called Dr. B is helping match vaccine providers who have extra doses with people looking for a vaccine who are able to drop everything and get one quickly. It doesn’t appear that many providers are still using the service, but the New York Times recently reported that hundreds of thousands of people have randomly signed up if a provider near them calls for voluntary vaccines.
Be at the right pharmacy at the right time
Recently, a woman from San Mateo said that she was able to get the vaccine at a nearby CVS after receiving a few extra doses at the end of the day and contacted her, knowing she was experiencing health issues that were causing her. made them vulnerable.
In a statement, a CVS spokesperson said: “In the event of unused doses in our pharmacies, our pharmacy teams will assess the most effective way to vaccinate eligible people with the remaining doses. This includes educating eligible patients in their communities, as our pharmacies maintain patient profiles with information that can help identify who is eligible to be vaccinated. “
While there are reports of people hanging out at neighborhood drugstores at sunset to get a coveted shot, drugstores and health officials have urged people not to try this route to get the shot.
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