Several Oregon healthcare workers stranded in the snow decided to offer coronavirus vaccinations to their fellow stranded drivers so the vaccines would not go to waste.
The New York Times reported that Josephine County, Oregon, public health director Michael Weber found himself stranded in a snowstorm in the middle of the highway with vaccine doses that would expire in six hours.
Weber and other public health workers were taking doses of the Moderna vaccine to Grants Pass, which was about 30 miles away from where they were.
When Weber and his team realized they could be stuck on the road for hours, they decided to offer the vaccines to the drivers stranded around them.
Most drivers declined the shot because of the unusual nature of the situation. Although Weber added there was a doctor and ambulance at the scene to oversee the vaccine administration.
“We had one individual who was so happy, he took his shirt off and jumped out of the car,” said Weber.
“It was a strange conversation,” Weber added. “Imagine yourself stranded on the side of the road in a snowstorm and having someone walk up and say: ‘Hey. Would you like a shot in the arm?’”
The team ultimately gave out six doses of the vaccine on the snow-covered highway, according to the Times.
Weber was glad that some of the supply did not go to waste.
“Our No. 1 rule right now is nothing gets wasted,” he said.
According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the U.S. had administered a total of 26,193,682 doses of both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines.