Across the country, some non-healthcare workers are getting their COVID-19 vaccines earlier than expected.<br />In a scattershot practice, non-priority people are getting vaccinated ahead of schedule when pharmacies have extra doses thawed that must be used.<br />Both the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines need to be stored at cold temperatures and used within hours of thawing.<br />Business Insider reports the phenomenon occurs when vaccine providers must either throw out extra doses when they expire or give them to random people.<br />In other instances, confusion about the amount of doses per vial and rumors of excess supply have led to mishaps in vaccine allocation.<br />The US federal government hasn't specified what should be done when there are more thawed doses than eligible recipients.
