ArcaMax

I guess I'm hoping that by sharing this it might make people think a little bit, or maybe I just need to "vent."

Your thoughts?

– Disappointed in the Northeast

Dear Disappointed: I’ve read of very long lines forming at some vaccine-dispensing pharmacies, sometimes starting well before the pharmacy opens in the morning – all for the chance at snagging a dose of leftover vaccine in the afternoon. Some pharmacies are offering leftover doses, rather than destroy the vaccine at the end of the day (after all of the appointed doses have been given).

Most often, very few doses are available, and so yes, you should assume that in your friend’s case, you would not have been able to snag one, even with a bit of advance notice.

I realize that a sort of “every man for himself” ethic seems to have taken hold regarding the vaccine for COVID (one article described it as more “Lord of the Flies”), but one way to see this is that now that your friend and her husband are vaccinated, this frees up two more doses for others to receive by appointment.

All the same, you should tell your friend how you feel about this.

Dear Amy: I’m a physician.

Over the years, it seems to be increasingly common for not only family and friends, but also co-workers, neighbors, and acquaintances I haven’t seen for over 30 years on social media to ask me for medical advice.

Fortunately, my health system frowns on me actually writing prescriptions or performing minor medical procedures unless they are a bona-fide registered patient.

...continued