Experts Urge People To Wait Their Turn For COVID-19 Vaccine
NATICK (CBS) - It's sort of a don't ask, don't tell phenomenon. If you know the right people, you can get a COVID-19 vaccination at this point, whether you're technically eligible or not.
"I'm 53-years-old, so I signed up and got an appointment," said Fred Peniche, of Milford. "Nobody questioned me. I've always been the belief that once you can get the shot, just get it, no matter who gets it. Everybody's got to get vaccinated. The sooner everybody gets vaccinated, the better it is for everybody."
"I think they should wait their turn," said Geoff Vashon, who's eligible because he works in a fish market. "Let the people who need to go, go first."
Governor Charlie Baker is urging people to wait their turn. He says he did and finally got his first shot this week. "If you cut the line and you're not eligible, you're basically taking a vaccine away from somebody who probably is vulnerable and probably ought to get the vaccine before you do."
Popular opinion is different. "I feel they should let everybody get it," said one woman at the Natick Mall clinic. "Just get it done."
Medical experts side with the governor on this question. "I don't think it's in anyone's best interest to cut the line," said Dr. Shira Doron. "The fastest way that we get back to normal is to empty the hospitals of COVID-19, and so we have to prioritize the people that are more likely to get severely ill."
She's referring to older people like Pam White. It took her weeks to get an appointment. She finally got her second shot Wednesday. "When I was trying to get an appointment, I probably would have been mad, but now, I feel that, you know, everybody should get one if they can," White said.