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Some lucky Americans received a surprise coronavirus vaccine while shopping at a supermarket. Others have followed rumors from social media to score a dose.
But six people in Oregon on Tuesday managed to get their shot because they got stuck on a snowy freeway in the right place at the right time.
Officials in Josephine County, near the California border, had held a three-day COVID-19 vaccination event at a local high school when they had to close early. “A snowstorm was coming during the clinic and we had to leave before the vaccines were given,” Josephine County Director of Public Health Mike Weber told BuzzFeed News.
The team still had six doses of the Moderna vaccine that had been reserved for people in the nearby town of Grants Pass, but an accident on the snow-covered road caused a traffic jam.
Knowing that they would be stranded for a while and that the Moderna vaccine was only six hours into its shelf life, they set to work looking for other stranded motorists who might want a surprise vaccine.
“We got out and just started going from car to car,” Weber said.
Amid heavy snowfall and on a snow covered road, the team had to convince the riders that this was no practical joke.
“It was a mixture of reactions,” Weber said. “Most people thought it was funny. It’s quite a fun situation to find yourself in. It’s not something most people expect!”
One man was so happy he even jumped out of his car and ripped his shirt off to receive his injection.
“He was doing a happy dance in his seat when he finally thought we were going to give him a vaccine,” Weber said.
Another woman who received a dose worked for the local sheriff’s office and was actually on her way to the pop-up vaccination clinic when the weather delayed her.
The lucky six will receive cards in the mail allowing them to return for their booster shots in four weeks.
Weber said it was one of the coolest operations he’s ever been on.
“That’s what public health does: we’re here to help the community,” he said. “Right now the best thing we can do for the community is to get these vaccines out.”
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