With waiting lists for the Covid-19 vaccine in the millions, some are crossing the line

Each state – and even some local jurisdictions – has set different rules for who gets vaccinated first and where they are distributed. In addition to the vaccine supply shortage, the lack of a centralized registration system in many areas has triggered a dose struggle.

As of Thursday, about 35.2 million doses have been administered in the United States, out of about 57.5 million doses administered, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Distribution blockages caused a slower-than-expected vaccination rate.

In Rhode Island, Attorney General Peter Neronha is investigating whether two health care networks vaccinated employees and others in accordance with state eligibility rules. “There has been particular concern about vaccinating board members, administrators and administrative staff who work primarily through telecommuting,” he wrote to Lifespan and Care New England in a letter to The Wall Street Journal.

“A small amount of poor optical systems can shake confidence in the system,” Democrat Neronha said in an interview. “In Rhode Island, which has a reputation for being the supreme state, ‘it knows a guy,’ because it’s so small and no one ever leaves, that the lack of trust is really exacerbated.”

Lifespan said board members were offered vaccinations in the second weekend of January, when the health system opened up eligibility for employees who did not interact with patients and volunteers. “I worked closely with [the state Department of Health] and he followed their instructions carefully from the beginning “, said a spokesperson. Which New England did not comment.

A spokesman for the state health department said hospitals were allowed to vaccinate their entire organization, including radiology staff, off-site staff and volunteers, noting that they were “active in running a hospital.”

Jay Egge, an 84-year-old retiree from Barrington, RI, said he was upset to hear about hospital administrators and board members being shot. He said he was unlucky to be inoculated despite many medical conditions that make him extremely vulnerable to Covid-19.

“If I’m in a queue trying to get my shellfish sandwich and an idiot jumps in front of me, I don’t like it. It’s exactly the same thing, “he said. But when it comes to Covid-19, “I’m afraid of survival.”

Some officials said that because the launch involved so many jurisdictions with different rules, deadlines and supplies, it was impossible for states or the federal government to make sure everyone followed the rules.

“We’re not the vaccine police,” said Max Reiss, a spokesman for Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont, a Democrat. “We put a lot of trust in local providers to make sure they vaccinate those most at risk in their communities.”

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

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

“It doesn’t look like someone should have vaccinated me,” New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said when asked about Ms. Griffith at a news conference.

After judges and staff at Reno City Hall, Nev., Received vaccines at a medical clinic, city director Douglas Thornley said court employees used personal relationships to deceive Nevada guides.

“It is unimaginable to me that anyone would put their interests before those who need the vaccine first: among them our health care workers, the first to respond and people over the age of 70,” he said in -a statement. “For at-risk groups, the vaccine could mean life or death.”

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

In DeKalb County, Georgia, which includes part of Atlanta and some of its suburbs, health care workers found that some people who were issued QR codes that allowed them to sign up for a vaccine meeting -they then shared with friends, said S. Elizabeth Ford, the county’s health director.

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

Hundreds of people went to county immunization centers with copies of QR codes, claiming they were properly registered, Dr. Ford said. County workers made cross-references with actual recordings and shootings withheld from unapproved individuals.

Beyond issues of legality and fairness, cutting the line erodes public confidence in this historic vaccine launch, said Ruth Faden, a biomedical ethicist at Johns Hopkins University.

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

—Katie Honan contributed to this article.

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