Amid this chaotic void of clear, enforced policies and alarming metrics, some “vaccine interlopers” are taking advantage of low demand in rural counties and skipping the line to get their vaccination, even if they don’t meet the criteria. The initial vaccine rollout in Tennessee didn’t have a singular, mass-distributed website for making appointments, getting on waitlists or finding phase information, often leading to wasted doses of the vaccine, especially in rural counties. National guard personnel check in people as they wait to receive a Covid vaccination on 26 February 2021, in Shelbyville, Tennessee. “We were told not to turn anyone away,” a worker at the Dekalb county health department said. “We’re just following the state’s policy and they didn’t give us any instructions for verifying anyone.” The communications director for the Tennessee state health department and the governor’s office did not return requests for comment.

Source: The Guardian March 29, 2021 10:52 UTC