'Vaccine Hunter' Site Helps People Find Unused COVID Vaccines

A new website aims to connect people who want to get a COVID-19 vaccine with doses that will expire unless they are used. VaccineHunter.org was founded by Doug Ward to help ensure that no doses go to waste.

The two vaccines currently approved for emergency use in the United States must be stored at sub-zero temperatures. When the vaccines are frozen, they can last for up to six months, but once they are thawed out, they must be used within a few hours, or they will go bad.

If somebody misses their appointment, or healthcare workers have leftover doses at the end of the day, they could end up being discarded, something Ward wants to avoid.

"Really, the goal is to find these points where we have these leftover vaccines, where somebody didn't show up to their appointment, they have vaccines left over that can't be re-introduced into the cold and need to be put in someone's arm," Ward told WAFB.

The site pulls content from over a dozen local Facebook groups and several Reddit threads, allowing people to search for locations in their area that may have leftover vaccines.

"We aim to help connect and crowdsource information about vaccine distribution sites that have expiring doses with the goal of getting ANYONE that's mobile and ready their first dose," the site explains.

According to Newsweek, you don't necessarily have to be in a priority group to get the vaccine, though some states and vaccination providers will still prioritize elderly individuals when administering leftover doses.

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