On a day when the immunization site had extra doses of Covid vaccine, I gave left over vaccine, that was going to expire if not given within 6 hours, to my wife and a neighbor. I was reprimanded by the Tennessee Board of Health for “Taking vaccines off site without authorization”. I was not reprimanded for “stealing”.

I was a volunteer giving Covid vaccine by appointment. When the injections were prepared, we were told that they had to be given within 6 hours, or they were considered expired. At the end of the day after all appointments were over, there was vaccine left over.  The immunization nurses and staff called their acquaintances to come in when we had extra expiring doses. Other random people without appointments would come to the site at closing to get injections. On two separate days, when there were injections left over, I took 2 expiring doses for my wife and a neighbor, both over 70. (4 total doses). I could have called them and told them to come to the site to get the immunizations. I only lived 6 blocks from the site, but I was licensed to give injections anywhere, so I took them home. I wish I had called.

Also, I was offered 1 injection for my work as a volunteer. I could not take it because I had received a first injection at another site with a vaccine by a different drug company. I took this offered vaccine dose home and gave it to my daughter-in-law, who was nursing her child. Total of 5 doses for 3 women. One was my dose for volunteering.

The news said I had “stolen” the doses.  The Tennessee Board of Health reprimanded me for ”taking vaccine off site without authorization to do so”. No one with an appointment missed a dose.

Hopefully, I am a wiser man.

Claude F. Varner