“Thought this may be of interest to those who got leftover first doses from pharmacies outside D.C. in the suburbs.”

Photo by C Buoscio

“Dear PoPville,

I’m a D.C. resident who received an end-of-day leftover first dose of the Pfizer vaccine at a pharmacy right across the border in Maryland. I was told at the time (late March) that because it was a leftover dose, I couldn’t schedule a second dose appointment. I had been preregistered in D.C. vaccination system and emailed the D.C. Department of Health them to let them know I had only received a first dose and couldn’t schedule a second dose with the original provider.

I received this reply from DOH a week later:

“Thanks for providing that information. Residents who receive their first doses in Virginia or Maryland are asked to return to those states to schedule their second dose appointments, per district policy. Due to limited vaccine supply, jurisdictions are allocated vaccine such that second doses are paired with the first. This not only ensures that you have a second dose waiting for you where you received your first dose, but also helps us understand the overall stock of vaccine that we can utilize.”

I followed up by reiterating that I had been told by the Maryland pharmacy at the time that they couldn’t schedule my second dose appointment because my first dose was a leftover, and DC Health underscored the District’s policy:

“To be clear, we are saying that it is the responsibility of the provider of your first dose to schedule your second. This is a nationwide practice because every jurisdiction (state, county, etc.) is allocated vaccine in pairs of first dose and second dose.”

A warning for District residents who saved leftover vaccine doses from the trash in the Maryland suburbs and weren’t able to schedule second dose appointments: D.C. Department of Health says you’re ineligible for second doses in D.C. and you’re on your own. On the plus side, the Maryland preregistration system appears to be much better than D.C.’s and lets you enter your first dose vaccination date directly into the system.

Perhaps coincidence, but after this back and forth with DC Health, I received an invitation link from DC less than 24 hours later. The problem is all of the available appointments are too close to my first does per CDC guidelines. I had sent my first dose information (vaccine type, date) at the beginning of this exchange, so I’m starting to think the reason DC Health told me I was ineligible for a second dose in DC is because their system (unlike Maryland’s and presumably other states’ systems) cannot account for first doses received outside DC Health.“