A chance for young people in Logan to receive the COVID-19 vaccine early was swiftly taken away

Cache County residents as young as 16 briefly had access to COVID-19 vaccines that were leftover from clinics, but a change in distribution procedures means they are waiting their turn again.

Walgreens held clinics for inoculation in assisted living homes, but there were more vaccines than people in some cases. The clinic would receive a surplus of the first dose because the exact number needed was unknown. Those leftovers would be distributed before expiration.

“The expiration date on these shots is extremely quick, so we need to get them out so they don’t go to waste,” said Simon Allen, a pharmacy technician at Walgreens. “The only way that young people out here are getting them is if we have extras, which we don’t anymore.”

Now, though, “all our clinics are second shot clinics,” Allen said. They know how many second doses to order and provide.

Jaxson Madison, a student at Utah State University, is among the few who got early access to a vaccine.

“My friend, who works at Walgreens, called to tell me that they had extras, so I was like, ‘why not?’” Madison said.

He decided to get vaccinated so he could live worry free. Madison hopes he won’t have to wear a mask in the future.

“It’s a good stress reliever to be immune and to not have to worry that I’m going to infect anyone with COVID,” he said. “I’d say if you can get it, then just get it.”

According to Dr. Katherine O’Brien at the World Health Organization, clinical trials have proved the COVID-19 vaccine protects people from disease, but it remains unknown whether the vaccine prevents transmission to others.

As the state of Utah plans to move into the next phase of distributing the COVID-19 vaccine, Walgreens does not intend to have leftovers.