Amanda Kloots, Nick Cordero’s widow, shamed for getting covid vaccine at 38

Amanda Kloots via Instagram
Amanda Kloots lost her husband, Broadway star Nick Cordero, to coronavirus in July. Nick was one of the first celebrities to contract the virus and he was hospitalized for months. Nick and Amanda’s son, Elvis, was born in June, 2019 and was just over a year old when his dad passed. I have a lot of respect for Amanda because I’ve done her workouts (she’s a fitness professional) but more than that because she immediately called out Trump when he made those horrible comments telling people to dominate the coronavirus. We now know more about how Trump was lying at that time and how sick he was. (Not that it matters much since he lies about everything.) We also know how dangerous his followers are so that took some bravery on Amanda’s part. Amanda is now getting pushback online because she instagrammed photos of herself getting vaccinated in Los Angeles. She’s 38 and healthy. Los Angeles County is in phase 1A, they’re only vaccinating healthcare workers and people over 65. Frontline workers and teachers are in phase 1B. Amanda defended herself to People Magazine saying she waited with two friends until all of the other people were vaccinated. Then she and her friends asked if they had any shots leftover and was told that they did.

On Friday, the 38-year-old fitness instructor — whose husband Nick Cordero died in July 2020 after contracting the virus and spending more than 90 days in the hospital — shared on social media that was able to receive her first dose of the vaccine.

In Los Angeles, only essential workers and people over 65 years old are currently eligible to book appointments for the vaccine. Her post prompted a backlash from followers who accused her of jumping the line.

“I think it’s crazy that people are trying to make this a scandalous thing,” Kloots tells PEOPLE exclusively on Saturday.

“Anyone can do what I did,” the mom of one says. “The more arms that we get this vaccine in, the better. I took my chance and went with two of my friends to a vaccination site in east L.A. We waited in a long line and hoped. After all the appointments were finished, we asked if they had any vaccines left, because if they have extra vaccines, they want to put it in arms instead of getting rid of it. And they said, ‘We have extra vaccines for you.’ I immediately got the chills and started crying.”

Getting the vaccine was a special moment for Kloots, especially after losing her husband to the very disease it will protect her from.

“We took a chance like I said, and anyone can try — and the fact that there was some backlash, took away this beautiful and emotional moment for me,” The Talk host tells PEOPLE. “Vaccine shaming should not be happening especially when you are waiting in line and that it would otherwise have been thrown out.”

“I am just happy and extremely grateful that we took a chance, and it could easily not have worked out,” Kloots continues. “We could have been turned away and that would have been fine. People have been doing this and you just have to be willing to wait. Every arm this vaccine goes into is a beautiful thing. We should not be shaming anyone who gets this vaccine that will help America get back on track.”

“I have been terrified since Nick has passed, as a single mother, of getting this virus and now I am one step closer to safety,” she wrote.

[From People]

I have mixed feelings about this. She waited until the end and there were leftover vaccines, which seems fine. Amanda and her friends weren’t taking the doses away from people who needed them. However I don’t think she should have Instagrammed it. So many of us are waiting patiently until our turn comes, and that is taking so much longer than however long she waited in this line. She lost her husband and people should be giving her grace about this. Plus she has a big platform and she could have anticipated the way people would react. I asked my friend Karen, who is a nurse, for a quote about this story. She said “I think people were angry (understandably) about her getting the vaccine even though she wasn’t an essential worker or elderly. She has been affected personally by this virus so I understand her being anxious to get it. However, like she said, she took a chance and was grateful that they had some left over. I don’t think I would have personally posted it on IG.” Exactly!

photos via Instagram

You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.

156 Responses to “Amanda Kloots, Nick Cordero’s widow, shamed for getting covid vaccine at 38”

Comments are Closed

We close comments on older posts to fight comment spam.

  1. Sayrah says:

    I’m not angry with her about this at all. I’m also tired of vaccine shaming. If healthy people want to wait until the end of the day and ask for leftovers, the more vaccinated the better. And she’s a single mother who lost her young husband to covid.

    • Soupie says:

      As far as I’m concerned Amanda Kloots can do whatever the hell she wants in terms of the vaccine. She lost her husband and the father of her infant toddler in a freaking Hospital!! For God’s sake if people would just stop judging for whatever the hell bug gets up their arse these days. And for you atheists out there: for moral ethicist’s sake stop judging (if you are).

    • Poisonella says:

      I’m so glad the first post about Amanda Kloots is perfect – in its brevity and empathy.

      • Lilly (with the double-L) says:

        @Poisonella me too. I also think those that follow her may be swayed to get vaccinated by her example, who otherwise may not. It’s too long a subject to get into “wellness” culture and that mindset.

    • Esmom says:

      Agreed. The people we should be shaming are the ones, like some on my college kids FB parent page, who refuse to be vaccinated because of insane conspiracy theories they’d rather believe than actual scientists and doctors. And the people who won’t wear masks or wear them properly. People are so spiteful and ignorant, it’s exhausting.

      • Shelly says:

        It is exhausting! All of my in-laws are conspiracy theory anti-vaxxers and as a result I no longer see my nieces and nephews. They choose ignorance and I just can’t take any more.

    • Bibi says:

      I am not angry at her at all. The vaccine wasnt taken from a vulnerable potential patient or an essential worker who was waiting in line. I can understand her worry to have lost her sulmate to covid and not wantin gro risk losing her own life and leaving her child an orphan. That’s what any parent would want. I’m sure she pisted thte OG because a lot of people are feeling unsecure about he vaccine and it was her way to endorse it.

      • Juniper says:

        We had a survey at work that let us put our names down if we were willing to drive out in case there were any extras left over. I signed up. I know some people who got called. Why waste it if there’s nobody else to take it?

    • SusieQ says:

      I work for a large healthcare system, but I’m not clinical or frontline. I also survived Covid that I contracted at my workplace. Because so many of the frontline and clinical workers at my entity refused to take the vaccine, there was tons of vaccine left over, and they started offering it to the rest of us. I took it, and I’m not ashamed.

      I am deeply upset by the sheer number of emergency department and nursing home personnel at my entity who refused to take it though.

      • Pusspants says:

        @ SusieQ, Same here. I’m a research psychologist at the VA and not a frontline worker. However, because some frontline workers refused the option to vaccinate, they started vaccinated all staff and I got the shot.
        I’m not ashamed to say I did because I didn’t do something unethical or amoral to skip the line. And neither did you or Amanda. But I also probably would have just avoided announcing it publicly if I had a large platform like she does just because she doesn’t need the added grief right now and some people were likely to be upset by it. I understand and have empathy for anyone’s frustration who wants the vaccine now but can’t get it yet. The situation sucks all around.

      • sassafras says:

        The number of people who WON’T take their reserved dose right now is exactly why we need flexible policies to get the shots in arms, wherever, whoever. There’s a county in Texas where they’re pretty much giving them to whoever wants it. Someone flew in from Florida and they gave it to them because they want to use it all up – because the local population isn’t signing up.
        Do I wish we had a more organized and equitable national system? Yes.
        But Trump f’ed everything up and at this point, eff it.

        TL;DR: All hands on deck, shots in arms, before the next variant is too tough to beat.

      • liz says:

        One of my best friends had the same happen to her. She’s a social worker in Maine, but is doing all telehealth visits. She goes into her office and sees clients & patients virtually. A co-worker called her saying their agency had a handful of vaccines left after vaccinating all of their front-line staff and did she want the shot. She’s 53 years old and healthy. She said yes. I’m thrilled for her.

        They need to get shots in arms. They particularly need to get shots in arms in the communities that have been hardest hit. Look at the zip codes where there have been the most cases, that’s who should be getting the vaccine.

      • E.D says:

        Because there are so many anti-vaxxers out there, I think anyone promoting getting one is a good thing.

    • bros says:

      Good for her. From the journal Science’s recent study: We estimate that as of October 2020, individuals aged 20-49 are the only age groups sustaining resurgent SARS-CoV-2 transmission with reproduction numbers well above one, and that at least 65 of 100 COVID-19 infections originate from individuals aged 20-49 in the US.

      Our age group spreads it the most and there is something to be said for cutting transmission off at the knees by vaccinating the group who spreads it the most. I will add these tend to be working age people and folks with young kids.

      No shame in what she did at all.

      • Mariposa says:

        I was listening to an Australian journalist and physician talk about this a few weeks ago – that although it seems counterintuitive, younger adults should actually be a priority group to vaccinate, because they are the group that spreads the virus the most. I don’t think she should be ashamed of what she did. I can’t imagine her anxiety around getting covid, having already lost her husband. I can’t believe the number of people in the US refusing the vaccine after half a million deaths.

    • lucy2 says:

      I agree. I don’t see anything wrong with what they did, waiting until there was surplus – I’ve heard of people doing the same around here at the couple of drug stores who are administering them. Those vaccines must be used, better to get it into someone’s arm than waste it!
      I think even Dr. Fauci said if you have the opportunity to get one, take it. Every person vaccinated is a good thing.

      Considering what this poor woman and her late husband went through, I’m glad to see she’s one who got a surplus vaccine.

    • Kebbie says:

      Yep. Just get them in arms. I don’t care who it is. It’s not like she got some shady doctor to falsify her need, she waited in line (potentially to just be turned away.) And maybe more people will do that now and fewer vaccines will be wasted. Good for her. She’s been through enough.

    • Larry says:

      Agreed. My brother-in-law is currently doing the vaccinations (in Germany). He told us that the vaccines, ones taken out of the industrial freezer and loaded into individual cooling boxes (to take to a vaccine centre, old peoples’ home, etc.) have a shelf life of less than 6 hours before they need to be thrown out. Meaning, if no one checked in to see if there was vaccine left, several jabs’ worth would go in the bin – which is such a waste. Though, granted, that doesn’t negate the fact that there are large numbers of people who need the jab more urgently and more desperately.

    • SarahLee says:

      The issue IMO is the privilege. She has the privilege to take the day off and wait in a line just in case. Many people, including people of color, people in poverty, low-income workers, don’t have that luxury. I don’t begrudge her the vaccine at all. But the notion that “anyone can do it” just reeks of privilege. No, Karen, they can’t.

    • GrnieWnie says:

      yes and also, I have family living around there and they say there are opportunities to volunteer for certain things. If you volunteer, you get a vaccine. It’s just a first-come, first-served thing. The vaccines are circulating. They’re being made available equitably to the public. So, whatever. She got one.

      • Anna says:

        And as @SarahLee mentioned, there is a lot of privilege at play here. Volunteering is a privilege that many BIPOC do not have because they are front-line workers.

    • Mattie says:

      Sayrah was just going to post your thoughts. Any parent who has lost a spouse to covid and has young kids should be in the upper tier of people getting vaccinated. Not going to shame this woman.

    • Christine says:

      I agree with you, 100%, and I’m a single mom who lives in Los Angeles, as if that gives me any sort of accreditation, but, you know…..internet.

      She went to a place where vaccines are given, and got one when no one else was there to get one. You are a giant piece of garbage if you are mad at her. Meanwhile, I don’t have her level of taking care of business. I’m just hiding at home, in the same city, by the way, not remotely willing to wait at a vaccine site to get one, if no one else shows up. I’ve been a single mom for 11 years, she’s new to it. She’s only thinking about how to be everything to their son, and that meant getting the vaccine, if no one else was there to get it.

  2. Oh_Hey says:

    Yeah no. I’m not shaming her for this. This (waiting around hoping for unused vaccine) is a thing we do now. That’s not this woman’s fault and normal people also do it and Instagram it or tell internet outlets as stories like this keep getting reported. She lost her husband slowly over months. She’s a widowed single mom – I guess those folks complaining about this can take her kid if she dies too.

  3. Millennial says:

    Those vaccines would have been thrown away otherwise – the ones at the end of the day have already been taken out of the refrigerator and can’t be put back, only wasted. Quite a number of “healthy” people wait at the end of the day for these leftover vaccines. Her child has already lost one parent, I can see why she’s protecting herself .

    • Becks1 says:

      Exactly. My SIL got it this way (she’s 39) – she put her name on the list and the hospital called her at the end of the day and she went in and got it. The vaccines would have been thrown away at the end of the day otherwise.

      I have issues with people jumping the line for vaccines, mainly because the people I know who are doing it are very privileged and are manipulating the rules (i.e. signing up to volunteer at a hospital, then getting the vaccine, then never showing up), or have connections that let them jump the line. A friend of mine is getting her vaccine this week because she found a vaccine site that will do it if you are an “office worker” – which we are, but we’re teleworking fulltime……so while she may not be wrong per se, and she’s allowed to get it, it certainly seems to me to go against the spirit.

      Anyway, though, at this point, the more people who get vaccinated the better. Every person who gets a shot means we are one person closer to the pandemic ending.

      • lucy2 says:

        I’m scheduled with one of the megasites here, and when signing up that was one of the first things they asked – do you live within 15 minutes and could you come immediately if called (I don’t). They have a waiting list of people who can show up if they have any extra each day.

    • tealily says:

      Exactly. This isn’t jumping the line, this is making sure nothing is wasted. I appreciate that there are people out there doing this and some people may not know this is an option.

      • Kate says:

        Yeah, I had no idea this was an option, so I’m glad she’s making people aware. I do wonder how this works with the second dose – if you get a “throwaway” first dose are you able to schedule your second dose or do you have to wait for a “throwaway” second dose as well?

        I followed and watched her struggle with her husband’s illness and then death and honestly feel so relieved for her that she was able to get vaccinated. I can’t imagine her fear of her young child potentially losing both parents to this horrible virus.

      • sa says:

        @Kate, I was wondering the same thing about the second dose.

  4. Rumer says:

    Wow, that is so ridiculous. She didn’t take it away from anyone.

  5. ItReallyIsYouNotMe says:

    A lot of sites are offering this option. My neighbors and their siblings received vaccines this way. I don’t see any issue with waiting for a turn as long as the leftovers are thrown out anyway. And I don’t see any reason not to Instagram the information so that other people know this is an option, notwithstanding the knee-jerk reactions that people have over Social media posts. I only know about this because my neighbor told me.

  6. AKA says:

    I don’t have an issue with her getting a vaccine, which would have otherwise been disposed. But she should have known the moment she posted this online she would be getting a lot of flack. The practical thing to do is just post it a few months later after her age group has been covered.
    What is also interesting is that it’s okay for someone like her to just drive by a vaccination site and ask if there are any leftovers. And the workers are also okay distributing. But a doctor of a different surname followed protocol, did his best to make sure the vaccine doesn’t go to waste, and yet was fired for his transparent actions just because the hospital thought he was biased in his selection of people for vaccinating, i.e. people who he would be capable of contacting on a very short notice.
    https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.nytimes.com/2021/02/10/us/houston-doctor-fired-covid-vaccine.amp.html

    • Missjo says:

      The thing is a lot of people didn’t know that this was an option to get vaccinated if you weren’t in the first wave groups but could make a use of a valuable resource that would otherwise go to waste, so it was very informative for others to be able to do the same

      • Abby says:

        Exactly Missjo.

      • Kebbie says:

        I had no idea this was a thing. I think it’s great if more people start doing this. The faster we get people vaccinated, the faster we get control of this thing.

      • Original Jenns says:

        Yes! If anything, I wish she would have told this story when she posted she got it, and informed people that this is a way those not in the most urgent categories can still get their vaccines. It means fewer vaccines being wasted, and we should all want that. Make it known!

      • tealily says:

        @Original Jenns it looks like she did explain all this in her post!

    • Jennifer says:

      It’s. Not. About. Her. Getting. The. Vaccine.

      It’s about her not acknowledging her privilege in getting it.

      No one deserves a vaccine over anyone else. Vaccine’s are not distributed based on your past, or your loss, or your tragedy.

      What happened to her IS tragic. Absolutely.

      But you don’t deserve it because of that.

      Saying everyone can do what she did is not true. There are countless poor, homeless, home bound seniors, single parents, etc. who cannot take time off work, or jump in a car, and hope to get lucky. The virus hit the disenfranchised population very hard. And they are also the ones having the most difficulty getting a vaccine.

      Vaccine’s should not be thrown away. There should be effort made to get to those people first instead of a young, healthy woman – no matter what happened to her.

      • sassafras says:

        Okay, but honestly, her “acknowledging” her privilege and then NOT getting it doesn’t help anyone. If the underfunded & overworked states/ counties aren’t doing / can’t do their job and reach all the high risk people (or if those people refuse to take it), then herd immunity WILL help those people who are falling through the cracks. But we can only get herd immunity (or shut down emerging dangerous variants) if we get a high threshold of people taking the vaccine. All the medical ethicists are saying this, by the way. We’re racing against a clock here.

      • tealily says:

        Realistically, that’s not going to happen with these end-of-the-day dregs. It’s better to get them to the people who CAN take them than throw them out, don’t you think? Ideally we’d like everyone to get vaccinated and there are a lot of people working on a lot of complicated plans to make that possible. Part of the plan is giving the leftovers out to whoever shows up at the end of the day. I’m not sure what more you expect from them. Go knocking on doors looking for single moms, hoping to find one before the vaccine has been out of the cooler too long?

      • MsIam says:

        That’s not realistic though. First they don’t know how many if any vaccines will be left over at the end of the day. Its based on no shows. Also the vaccine is only good for a short time after it thaws. I read where at one hospital they were going up and down the halls and in the parking lot looking for people to take the leftover shots. Your issue is more with the distribution system set up by the states than with anyone’s privilege.

      • lucy2 says:

        Completely agree with you about her privilege to be able to do that, but as tealily and MsIam have said, in this case it’s all about the logistics. With the surplus, they have a limited window of time, no idea how many they’ll have, and they have the medical staff right there to use them immediately. This is the best way to use the extra.
        Not everyone can do what she did, that’s true, but those who can should try. And all those who can’t, their officials should be doing everything possible to get the vaccine to them.

  7. Ohlala says:

    One of the things i realised during this pandemic is what a shocking amount of idiots/cowards/nasty lowlives and stupid people there are in the world. I knew it is bad but the scale of it just shocked me. I think it is najority unfortunately:(
    Poor woman single mam who lost her husband to covid! Ffs

  8. Louise177 says:

    She didn’t do anything wrong. It’s been reported since the vaccine came out that medical facilities and centers have had extras and had to throw it out. Now they give it to walk-ins at the end of day. Not sure why anybody should be criticized for it. It’s a lot better than wasting it.

    • HoofRat says:

      Absolutely – it’s not like those two grifters from Vancouver who flew to a remote Indigenous community to lie their way into getting vaccinated at the same time as vulnerable elders. Don’t waste a damn cc of that vaccine – get it into anyone who will take it!

  9. Jillian says:

    I’d rather the doses be used instead of thrown away, in all cases. And I know this woman’s name now, so she got two things she wanted, I suppose

  10. CDL says:

    I have friends in their early 40s who did the same thing. The shots would have been thrown away.

    • hindulovegod says:

      I know several people in their 40s and 50s in LA who got vaccinated this way. They queued in the car for a few hours for possible end of day leftovers. There should be a better system that prioritizes high risk people, but there isn’t.

  11. Darla says:

    There’s nothing wrong with this and by instagramming this she also spread knowledge; if you have a day to wait, you have a decent shot at getting the vaccine at the end of it. The way I look at it, the more people vaccinated the closer we are to herd, so YAY!

    • Amelia says:

      Agreed…she got a shot that would have gone to waste otherwise. At this point the US needs to get shots in arms. She did use her privilege (ability to wait in line for a leftover), but she also used it well—the Instagram post spread the word that if people have the ability to line up for an end of day leftover, they should, and also normalized and destigmatized getting the vaccine. In a country where anti-vaxxers are loud, this is necessary.

      • LNG says:

        This is a great way of putting it – she used her privilege well. As long as they don’t have a better way of distributing the leftover vaccines, people who have the ability to go wait in line all day to make sure every dose is used should being doing so. Every person who is vaccinated provides more protection to people who don’t have the privilege to go sit in line all day.

    • Christine says:

      I live in LA, it is not as simple as privilege, it’s just showing up and hoping there are vaccines left at the end of the day. I recognize that it is privilege, in so far as she has free time, and the ability to get herself to a vaccine site, because there are so many people in this city who have lost their jobs, and they are now working ANY job that comes to them, and they don’t have the freedom of a car to drive them where they want to go, and the city’s bus schedule is a very real thing. But anyone who is not working on whatever day can show up and hope a vaccine is available, at the end of the day.

      I have a car, I have a career where I can work from home, but I have not tried to get the vaccine, by showing up and waiting. She lost her husband, she waited to get the vaccine after there were no other options on the vaccine roll-out. Who is really mad at this woman, who got a vaccine, when there were no other people waiting to get the vaccine???

  12. AA says:

    Yeah I am not mad at her, and tbh I wouldn’t have expected the backlash, call me naive.
    That vaccine would have been thrown away. If some people have the means to go and queue for hours to prevent vaccine doses from getting wasted, why not? It benefits everyone in the long run, in terms of creating immunity, shortening the wait for when her age-bracket comes up, etc etc. The quicker we vaccinate the most people, the better it is for all of us.

  13. Cee says:

    If they had been thrown out then it is great they weren’t wasted! Hopefully more people will start doing this so no vaccine gets thrown out like trash. Plus, more people vaccinated is good. I just can’t believe some people get an appointment and decide not to show up.
    I’m waiting for my turn (which will come at the end tail of this pandemic, IMO) knowing full well I might get the virus first and not know how my body will deal with it.

  14. Belig says:

    What the hell. The bigger story is: THEY ARE THROWING VACCINES OUT?!!!! HOW?!!! What?! I’m sorry, but I had missed this. How is everyone not up in arms about *that part*?!!!!

    ETA: okay, having now read the other comments, everyone here seemed to know about this… I wonder if it’s the same where I live. I still find this pretty shocking. I imagine it’s the “deep-freeze” vaccine that’s concerned and not others. Hopefully, there are better methods for regular vaccines…

    • EMc says:

      There is no excuse for this at all. It makes me SO mad. If you have extras at the end of the day, it takes minimal effort to find folks to get them. It might take some time, yes, but I can’t fathom throwing out anything.

      We are SO careful as to not waste a drop- it can be done.

    • Lia says:

      Where I am we had people refusing vaccines so those get tossed. They would go in to a Long Term Care Home that had 100 residents with 100 vaccines but 2 people may refuse the vaccine so they get tossed. You can’t legally force people to be vaccinated and you can’t re-refrigerate the vaccines so they get tossed.

      • EMc says:

        I have seen this as well, Lia. Luckily we were able to find nurses or other Healthcare workers to come in and get them.

      • Original Jenns says:

        I hear you. And honestly, I am grateful 3 people said no/were no shows. My parents and grandpa were able to be added to a list of persons to call if there are leftover vaccines at the station, and ended up getting vaccinated “early” (my grandpa is older and my dad has had heart surgeries, so they should have been up soon enough, but the earlier the better). You have to be able to show up within 30 minutes, and if you are called two or three times and can’t make it, you’re off the list. They really want to make sure their daily doses are used.

  15. EMc says:

    I’ve been in SC and GA giving vaccines for months. For clinics based in a store, there are always people showing up hoping to get vaccinated as a walk in. And most of the time it’s our elderly folks who don’t have internet or phone access to schedule an appointment. We keep a list of names and start calling them at the end of the day to use up extras. I’m not upset she got hers, but I will say there’s a large population of our at-risk folks who don’t have the resources to schedule appointments or wait in line for huge lengths of time like that. And that isn’t her fault- we should be more accessible. But I would have called someone 1A off our list before vaccinating her.

  16. Lanie says:

    She’s the sole surviving parent of her toddler after her husband died of Covid. And it was an ugly, drawn out death with amputations involved.

    What’s wrong with people?

  17. Miranda says:

    If people just HAVE to rage against someone, they should direct that anger towards the authorities that seem to have bungled the vaccine distribution just about everywhere. Or the anti=vaxx assholes in CA who managed to temporarily prevent vulnerable people from receiving a potentially life-saving shot. Or the perfectly healthy people who have been vaccinated and immediately dropped all other safety measures.

  18. MattyLove says:

    I think the shaming is unwarranted. The people who deserve to be shamed are those who cheat or pay their way to a vaccine, such as the women who “dressed up as grannies.” She operated within the bounds of the system.

    • EMc says:

      This! We had a company schedule vaccines for their employees and we were only doing 70 and older so the company lied on the registration. Then all these people in their 40s and 50s started showing up for vaccines.

  19. LW says:

    I was vaccine-shamed as well. I’m 40 and lost my job, but I have a degree so I started substitute teaching (our schools are open). In our area, healthcare workers and first responders got the vaccine first and then teachers and then elderly. Teachers had already been vaccinated when I started subbing, but I became eligible for the vaccine as soon as I started subbing so I was vaccinated alongside a bunch of elderly people. Someone local went to the school superintendent and threw a fit over it. I was perplexed that anyone would be angry. There’s a huge sub shortage and I’m qualified to do it and I’m now in the schools every day. It seems obvious to me that whenever the opportunity presents itself to get the vaccine YOU GET IT! Every vaccinated person is one step closer to normalcy. People who vaccine shame are the worst! Good for Amanda!

    • E says:

      “Anyone can do what I did” is not true, for instance, essential workers who are working all in day their jobs…without the vaccine. Covid, especially in LA, has disproportionally affected Black and Latino communities and this highlights the racial and socioeconomic inequalities that we’ve seen through the pandemic and the vaccine rollout. Not everyone has the means to wait standby, often times because they are working the very jobs that put them at high risk. Of the East LA site, in particular, Newsom said “the reason this site was chosen was the framework of making sure that communities that are often left behind are not left behind, they’re prioritized in terms of the administration of these vaccines.” Couple that with the Instagram brag about the vaccine, the “how dare you” attitude, and the plug for her appearance on a talk show, and she’s shocked about blowback?

      • Jennifer says:

        THIS. Thank you. This unexamined privilege combined with her doubling down saying “I deserve this” is where she lost me.

      • LNG says:

        I agree that being able to wait in line all day is obviously a very privileged position to be in, but this isn’t Amanda Kloots fault. I don’t think its controversial that all available vaccines need to be put into arms rather than thrown out, so I don’t fault anyone for going and waiting in line to see if they can get one. And if her post lets people know that this is an option, then good on her.

        If there is any criticism or blame I think it needs to go to whoever has the power to design a system where either there aren’t any leftover vaccines on any given day (thereby getting through the highest risk people faster) OR these leftover vaccines go into the arms of essential workers and younger people who are higher risk rather than whoever happens to have the time to wait around all day. But it seems that the extreme storage requirements for this vaccine make it difficult to ensure that every vaccine goes to the most deserving person. Is it practical to have a stand-by list of people who are essential/high risk and can get to wherever the vaccines are being distributed very quickly?

      • Elizabeth says:

        She had privilege and benefited and her denying that is a problem. Not everyone has an equal opportunity. She didn’t create the messed up system but she sure decided to benefit personally from it. I care for and live with elderly parents and can’t spend all day waiting, wish I could. Why not use her resources and privilege to help those in need have time to come wait with her? But no she has to post about how she DEFINITELY doesn’t have privilege, come on.

      • LNG says:

        But she didn’t deny having privilege – she denied that celebrity privilege had anything to do with it. Her point is that she didn’t get special treatment because she’s a celebrity. Should she have talked about how waiting in line all day is not something everyone can do and advocated for a fairer process? Sure. But I don’t think she did anything wrong here (even posting it on social media – a lot more people are probably now aware that this is an option).

        This isn’t a situation where if people who are privileged enough to go wait in line all day don’t take advantage then less privileged people will get the vaccine. They aren’t depriving someone else of a dose. Those vaccines will be wasted. Until a better way of distributing these extra or leftover vaccines is implemented people who can should absolutely go wait in line all day so no doses are wasted.

        Best case scenario is the most at risk people get vaccinated first, but second best is that every single vaccine is injected into an arm regardless of who the arm is attached to. That’s one step closer to herd immunity and one less person to potentially spread COVID to an essential worker or vulnerable person.

      • Anna says:

        This @E Thank you. No one is saying she shouldn’t have gotten it. It’s the other layers.

      • Fabiola says:

        I think what she meant by anyone can get it is that you don’t have to be a front line worker or over a certain age to qualify for the left over vaccine. She is a covid widower trying to stay alive for her son who already lost one parent. Leave her alone. Good for her for spreading the word.

    • Pusspants says:

      @ LW, I don’t really understand why you were shamed by someone when you legitimately have a reason and need to be vaccinated early. My best guess is that the person complaining is upset because maybe they want but can’t get the vaccine yet, and misdirected that anger at you. I have empathy for that person for their frustration, but also for you for being made to feel bad.

  20. Abby says:

    According to my friend who is an infectious disease doctor in my state (Texas), they have to throw those vaccines out if they don’t use all of the vaccines in a vial in a certain amount of time. So they do have leftovers sometimes. IMO what she did is acceptable. Vaccines in arms–as long as someone isn’t literally taking a spot in line from someone else–is crucial. I like seeing vaccine selfies because they help raise awareness.

    I signed up in my county to get the vaccine after seeing a relatively young friend get her first shot. She was 1B, but I followed all of the directions and put my name on the list. I am not 1A or 1B, and I clearly marked my info on the online form. I figured I would get the shot sometime this summer whenever it was my turn. But they called me at the end of January for my first shot, which was scheduled for the end of the day, at the end of the week (so I think it was probably the leftover shot situation). I know quite a few people with no conditions in my county who have been able to get the shot. We all sign up the same way. It doesn’t make sense to me that the county SAYS it’s only vaccinating 1A and 1B but they’re calling up people not in those categories. I felt conflicted about it because I don’t want to take a shot from anyone. But I do also think that me being vaccinated means one less person taking up covid hospital resources, one less person spreading the virus (hopefully). I get my second shot on Friday. I am also helping everyone I know in the 1A and 1B categories get signed up for the waitlists everywhere in my area. My dad and my in-laws are both getting their second shots this week too.

    I have not posted about getting my shot for the exact reason of this story–I don’t want to get flack for it. I sincerely hope everyone who wants it can get the vaccine as soon as possible and I want to try to help that happen. I would not have known how if a friend hadn’t posted her vaccine selfie.

    • Ann says:

      My brother-in-law volunteered as a runner for a vaccine site. In doing so he made himself eligible to get one of the shots that was left over at the end of the day and would have been thrown away. He is 50 and healthy, but I see nothing wrong with it. It would have gone to waste and he did his part to help out.

    • sassafras says:

      I posted above about a Texas county that is practically handing them away on the street. My friends went and got it and encouraged me to go and I’m halfway considering it even though it’s a long ass drive. I wouldn’t post about it on FB either but the fact of the matter is, there are so many people refusing to get the “Bill Gates shot” here and when the state distributes it, there’s no way it can know which county has the anti-vaxxers. It’s tough but I don’t know what people want us to do.

      • Abby says:

        Sassafras I wish I could DM you–I would love to know where in Texas you’re talking about I sure have some folks I would send to that location! My aunt in Florida is desperate to get it (she really wants to travel abroad again), but she’s 64 and their cutoff is 65. It’s so frustrating how different the protocols are from state to state, region to region.

    • lucy2 says:

      Same here – I got approval way sooner than I expected. I think it has to do with my work field, as others in my office got approved as well, but we aren’t essential.
      It’s tough to find appointments though, I’m scheduled for a few months out, and am hoping anyone higher risk has gotten in by then, especially if the supply increases.

  21. Wilma says:

    My husband and I both have multiple auto-immune diseases and I can’t wait to get the vaccine into one of our arms. I’m really scared of getting Covid and leaving our daughter an orphan. I completely understand her. Maybe not post about it 🤷🏻‍♀️

  22. Jennifer says:

    Every single shot administered helps all of us. I fully support her. And I’m glad she posted about it because so many people didn’t know this was an option.

  23. DS9 says:

    I’m not even mad she posted about it.

    How many people know that many places could give people the shot if they have leftovers and that if they don’t, they’re thrown out?

  24. FHMom says:

    This vaccine distribution has become so emotional. I don’t care that she got the vaccine. However, with the vaccine in short supply, receiving one is sadly a privilege. Unless you are elderly, taking to Instagram feels like bragging. I don’t want to dump on a single mom who lost her husband, but she should have known better.

  25. Erin says:

    Wow, I’m shocked folks are actually upset. Um, isn’t she the sole surviving parent during a pandemic? She should be able to get the vaccine! And the way she did it seems just fine – waiting for leftovers, and I’m not mad about the IG – she’s normalizing the vaccine for people. I’m still afraid to get it myself, so I appreciate those who are getting it.

  26. emmy says:

    This is just bad organization if they can’t match the number of appointments to doses. I realize people sometimes don’t show up but have a wait list ready? This sh*t happens here in Germany as well and no, of course don’t throw out anything but jeeze. A relative (77 yrs old so not their turn yet) was called weeks ago because the nursing home next door had too many doses. Of course he went. But they didn’t call people in their 30s.

    If this is a thing, that you can wait for “surplus”, then okay. But so many people can’t or can’t afford to wait in line all day so posting it, no matter her personal situation, was not cool.

    And I wonder how many people who just found out this is an option will now show up at these places. Good luck to the people working there.

    • sassafras says:

      People have to cancel their doses if they test positive or live with someone who does. Some places don’t have the administrative assistance necessary to keep up with a wait list. And in LA County, bless them. It’s huge and they’ve been hit hardest. And you can’t just up and drive across LA County in 15 minutes. It’s awful but it probably makes the most sense to keep the “wait list” people there all day instead of expecting people to drive across the county in traffic at 5:30 pm .

  27. Liz version 700 says:

    This is ridiculous. My brother-in-law got called in to get an end of the day shot. I was happy for him. This woman watched her husband die an agonizing and slow death. I would be proactive too. People need to get a grip

  28. Lena says:

    I think instagramming could be useful in showing people the problem of leftover vaccines and that you could try to do the same thing as she did. Where I live (Switzerland) they are currently only vaccinating the over 75 and the ill, but they kept a list of health care workers wanting to be vaccinated in case someone didn’t turn up for an appointment and my boyfriends over 60 year old nurse mother could get her two shots that way.

  29. Savu says:

    The leftover doses are happening all over the country. She is doing exactly what anybody could do, call (or show up) and ask. I’ve been calling every day for my parents, who are under 65 but high risk (we move into their phase 5 days from now, but many places won’t include them until there are more doses). The vaccine comes in trays of 50 to 100, and there are six doses per vial. Just the name of the game, they don’t always match up perfectly.

  30. Izzy says:

    I know younger healthy people who got their vaccines by lying about comorbidities to take an appointment. I have no problem with what she did here. In fact, if her doctor had put her at the front of the line because her younger healthy husband had a horrible and ultimately fatal outcome from COVID, and didn’t want their child to be left an orphan, that would be understandable too.

  31. mellie says:

    That’s exactly how I got my vaccine…well, sort of, I was on a wait-list…our state was only vaccinating 70 yo’s at the time, we had a significant snow, all the 70 year olds cancelled, they didn’t want to get out in the weather. I got one of the vaccines that would have been thrown out at the very end of the day. The vaccine expired at 5, I got it at 4:45. I was on a wait list, they called me, many people are doing that here. It’s better than throwing the vaccines away! (But I didn’t put it on instagram or FB either…)

  32. Mina_Nur says:

    I have no issue with this. She didn’t take the vaccine away from a prioritized person. A leftover doze in a person is better than a leftover doze in the trash.

  33. KellySunshine says:

    Absolutely no shame for her, or anyone else who waited to see if there was any left over vaccines.

    In Canada, we had a young, very wealthy couple from BC fly up to the Yukon, where they pretended to be workers in an Indigenous community, so they could jump the queue and get their vaccines. I do shame those two. All they received were fines of less than $1K each (which they can obviously afford if they can take a private plane up to the Yukon to a remote community)

    • LNG says:

      This was absolutely hideous – what horrible people. I’m in Atlantic Canada and doses allocated for us are being sent up North to the much more vulnerable populations. I have yet to hear one person complain about it. We have been incredibly lucky here to have VERY little Covid and its a lot easier for us to hang tight for a little bit longer while they send the vaccines to places where it will have a much bigger immediate impact.

  34. Buttercup says:

    Haters gonna hate. She didn’t lie, steal or cheat. Let’s remember how her husband died and her situation. I would’ve done the same thing. Happy she got her vaccine.

  35. LillyfromLillooet says:

    I waited outside a clinic after closing hours and got a vaccine that was going to be thrown away. The clinicians said that they would actually go out on the streets looking for people to offer a vaccination to (after working 12 hour shifts) so nothing was wasted.

    Got nothing but love for Amanda.

  36. Kynesgrove89 says:

    Nothing shameful here. She got leftover vaccines that would have been wasted. My husband had to get it this way. He waited hours to get it. I work in healthcare so mine wasn’t an issue.

  37. Mariatia says:

    I am so happy for her. We had a clinic at work to get the first shot. The end of the day was coming and they had 15 left over and we scrambled! Time was ticking. They asked to call anyone we knew within ten minutes away. No shots were wasted. She did a public service with post.

  38. Pamspam says:

    This is what I did, too. I was extremely grateful to get it. I wish there were a better system in place to ensure the the next group on the list gets bumped up and gets the leftovers, but there is not. I got a dose that would have otherwise been wasted.

  39. S2 says:

    Fvck every single one of those people who dared condemn a woman widowed by this virus for doing what she needed to do to protect herself and her family. Every single person who gets the vaccine makes all of us safer. Many (most) vaccine centers allow you to wait, often for hours, until the end of the day to see if there are leftovers, and if so it’s first-come, first-served on distribution, because the goal is getting shots into arms and helping to end this plague before more mutations make it impossible to contain. JFC this woman watched her partner suffer and die from this disease in perhaps the most public and painful way possible. OF COURSE she fears it and wants to protect herself. It’s insanity that anyone would question her for doing so.

  40. Calypso says:

    Ok, I work at a mass vaccination site and I feel like I’m seeing a lot of misinformation here.

    First of all, let me caveat by saying this is possibly only my vaccination site. What we do is about 30 minutes before the end of the clinic, we count how many appointments we have left, tally how many doses we have left, and then we begin to contact our standby list. To be clear, our standby list is a lot of people in priority groups (elderly, frontline workers, immunocompromised, etc) who are eligible to get a vaccine but have not yet been able to get an appointment. We usually contact about 15-20 people from our standby list to see who can make it to the site in 15 minutes. Then, THOSE people are the ones who receive any leftover doses to ensure nothing goes to waste.

    We do NOT allow random people to just wait outside. It’s simply not safe, from multiple perspectives. It’s not safe to have a mass of desperate people crowding around outside a site that is housing upwards of 1,000+ members from high risk populations. It’s not safe to have a group of people trying to get to the front of a line or intimidate people trying to go to their appointments. For these reasons, we don’t even publicize the location of our mass vaccinations sites. We DO NOT encourage this behavior, because we do not, under any circumstances, want non-eligible people coming and waiting outside.

    We DO NOT waste vaccines. Any leftovers go to an approved standby group of priority people to try and ensure fairness and equity in the vaccine rollout AND to points of contact that will have the biggest impact.

    Again, this is only for my site and the sites in my county that I help oversee, so perhaps it’s different for her, but I really do not want to encourage generally privileged people to go wait outside for vaccines. It’s really not safe.

    • S2 says:

      I’m certain your info is accurate for your area, but not all. Here (Southeast), and in many other places, people wait in their cars, often for hours, and at least of late there are even signs indicating where to wait for extra. They come out at the end of the day and say how many, if any, are left over for those waiting. (In his case, put sticky notes on car windows and asked them to bring them in.) It’s time consuming, but not unsafe. My husband, who had to resume traveling for work this summer and who I’ve been terrified of his contracting it since he has asthma, was able to get the vaccine that way just this weekend, after trying several times unsuccessfully previously. Is it privileged to have a car to wait in, and the weekend time (in our case) to do it? Of course it is. Does that mean he or Kloots did anything wrong? Also, no. Everyone who gets vaccinated is a good thing. My sister is a teacher and drove 2 hours to a drive-in mass vaccine clinic–teachers just became eligible in her state, but no openings locally–and waited in line to get it, ironically on the same day my husband did it (we live across the country from each other). She had no guarantee of getting in. Luckily, she did. (In her case she got their first thing and they were giving shot to anyone who qualified because their appointments hadn’t been filled.) And, yes, it’s also lucky that she had the resources to do that and not have to wait weeks until her much less organized district/county figured it out. Meanwhile, our parents, who live in a different state from either of us, have yet to become eligible (over 65, but under 75) and are still waiting. So, is it weird she got the vaccine before they did? Maybe, but they’re also retired and can stay home, while she’s teaching in-person daily, and has been since October, so they have zero problem with her getting the vaccine before they do. So many teachers at her school have gotten sick. We’ve all been very worried, despite the fact she’s only 36.

      • Calypso says:

        Look, I agree that every single person needs to be vaccinated and in a more ideal world, vaccinations would be available to everyone and the rollout would be smooth. But we have seen massive inequities in both who the disease in killing, and who is getting the vaccine. At a certain point, it becomes a bit of a zero sum game.

        Should any vaccines go to waste? Absolutely not. If other sites are not implementing the same protocols I mentioned above (they should be), they should never throw them out but there are alternatives to just throwing your hands up and saying: “well, they’re gonna throw them out so I might as well try and get one.” What about changing the system?

        In an unequal system, is it fair to GAME that system? I mean… I guess it’s not wrong, but I would also personally not say it is right. I am uncomfortable with using people of privilege using that privilege to get ahead. It is a personal ethical decision, but there are alternatives. What about working with underserved neighborhoods in your community to match BIPOC up with leftover doses first? Or helping people who are elderly navigate the online system? What about putting pressure on local officials or contacting your sites for a more equitable distribution and fairer standby rules?

        I don’t want to shame people for getting vaccinated, because I do want everyone vaccinated, I just want people to be discussing other ways they can also help what does appear to be a broken system.

      • S2 says:

        In an ideal world, I 100% agree that’s how it should work, but our world is far from ideal. In your example, calling people and saying get here in 10 minutes, privileges people who can do that, which isn’t easy either, and is much more likely to leave doses than someone already waiting. I’m not sure there is a completely fair way to handle this process, or anything else. Vaccine doses shouldn’t be wasted, period, and that’s priority one. The clinic my husband went to this weekend followed an unusual area storm, leaving a lot of empty slots. The one my sister went to (again, in another state) was poorly publicized. This is how it’s being done. Personally, I’m waiting to get my vaccine, because I’m a stay-at-home mom and if my husband is protected, that protects our family fairly well, and I am very conscious of the needs of others and how they’re being underserved. We’re all trying to make the best decisions and choices we can under the circumstances. It’s very fair and reasonable to want to protect your own family, and keep them safe. I don’t claim to be perfect, but do my absolute best to do that in a way that is ethical for others, who I also try to help as much as possible. The fact that vaccinations help everyone, not just yourself, means I find it pretty difficult to get worked up about anyone getting a shot, particularly when we’re not talking about those “more deserving” being turned away.

  41. H says:

    I did not know this information, so I thank Amanda. I’m now going to do this. I’m at the top of 1c (asthma, but got bumped from 1b when they added smokers). However, here in FL because of my age, I’ll be lucky if I get it by September. This is good news and no one should be shaming Amanda.

  42. Veronica S. says:

    It’s infuriating the lower classes are carrying the biggest burden of the pandemic, especially where medical access is concerned, but frankly, after hearing how many doses had to be tossed in some states because they had more left reconstituted over after appointments and weren’t allowed to give them to people, I can’t summon any anger for it. The closer we get to hers immunity, the better. Economically, the length of the shut down has been the hardest thing for the poor to deal with.

    • LNG says:

      I agree with you – of course it would be better if they system was fair, but we can’t shut it all down and fix it, they’ve got to keep vaccinating while they try to fix it. For many places it seems that finding an arm (any arm!) to put every shot in at the end of the day is the best option they have right now. At the end of the day, every person who is vaccinated protects essential workers and those without the privilege to work at home that much more.

  43. teehee says:

    Whats next? Shaming people for getting the pox vaccine?

    Absolutely unreasonable!! Everyone who doesn’t fight this, is helping!

  44. Leskat says:

    What exactly is the issue? She didn’t push some elderly person out of the line to get a vaccination. She waited till the end of the day to see if she could get a leftover and every vaccination that gets used is a victory for literally everyone in the world. I have no problem with this whatsoever.

  45. Chip says:

    This vaccine rollout has been such a mess that I don’t blame anyone for getting it when they have the chance. I’d much rather it go to someone who wants it than in the trash!

  46. Leefie says:

    I’m not angry about Amanda waiting in line to get a vaccination dose that would otherwise go to waste. I am angry that someone isn’t working on distributing these extra vaccine doses in a more equitable way. Like someone else mentioned, there are essential workers, people who work in grocery stores, waiters and waitresses, etc., who are not eligible, but cannot wait hours in line to get an extra dose that is available. So not going to rail on Amanda for this. If I lost my husband to covid and watched him suffer for such a prolonged period of time would make me want to get that vaccine as soon as I could. I can’t blame her for taking advantage of a poorly designed system.

    Having said that, I will criticize her on other counts because I do think she is oblivious to her privilege. It kind of pissed me off that a gofundme was set up for her and raised about $1,000,000 after her husband died. I’ve seen her instagram – this is someone who lives in a really nice home, and after her husband died, was posting about her beautiful home remodel, with the help of designers, etc. She posts about vacations she takes at ritzy resorts. And now she has a probably very well paying gig on The Talk. I don’t blame her for using the platform her husband’s death gave her to gain sponsorships or even her current new job. But, taking the gofundme money, in my opinion, is f**** up. A lot of people who are a lot worse off didn’t get that kind of money or support. Now, if she would donate most of that money back, I’d change my opinion about her. But, for now, I will feel terrible that she has suffered the loss she has, while also thinking that she is way out of touch about her own privilege.

    • MsIam says:

      Do you know how much in medical bills she probably had? Healthcare is not free and its not like the bills go away if you die. And for the life of me I do not get people that get mad about GoFundMe . its voluntary donations, and the last thing to carp about is a widow with a kid. If you don’t want to contribute, don’t.

      • Leefie says:

        I have no idea what her medical bills were? Do you? I don’t think she ever shared that information. I read that she shared that her husband did have good medical insurance.

        Obviously, anyone can donate to a gofundme. But, can I still have an opinion about it? Not long after his death, she did a really nice remodel of her very nice home in Laurel Canyon. She’s been on some nice vacations…it doesn’t seem like she’s suffered financially at all. She has maintained a very nice lifestyle even before signing on The Talk. Perhaps if she had shared how much in medical bills she was looking at, I could assess that differently. In my opinion, if you say you need help paying for medical bills and do a gofundme, you should probably let people know what kind of bills you are looking at too.

        In any event, I believe one of the purposes of the gofundme was to fund her son’s college education, something she obviously doesn’t need help with at this point.

        A lot of people are suffering so terribly because they lost loved ones to this disease, but didn’t have the privilege of having her platform. I would hope that she would take the money that she received and doesn’t need and donate it forward.

        Also, I take back not being mad about her getting vaccinated. Because as a commentator stated below, I think it sucks that she drove to an underprivileged area and got a vaccine meant for underprivileged communities. It’s total wealthy white privilege. She should own that.

  47. Case says:

    I’m not made she got it at all. She went about it the right way and we need to get all those vaccines in people’s arms so they don’t go to waste.

    I’m 28 with underlying conditions and was able to get my shot last weekend. I went through the proper channels to get my name on the list and was invited to set up an appointment, so I did. I feel super grateful and won’t use the vaccine as an excuse to go crazy socializing – I’m just going to make doctor’s appointments I’ve put off, lol!

  48. PPP says:

    I got a vaccine because I work at a coffee shop at a hospital. I got shamed for it, but I’ve been forced to risk my life to get people coffee for the past six months, I’ve watched how much my life is actively devalued. I also lost my career job and place in my PhD program, this virus has fucked up my life beyond belief. I’ve had work-from-home sixty year olds shame me: YOUR GENERATION FUCKED UP MY LIFE. I don’t have a house or a work-from-home job in my late thirties, the sixty year olds got to live easy lives, so yeah, if I took a vaccine from a middle-class sixty year old who got to graduate from college without crippling debt and have a normal life trajectory, well I don’t care.

    • Josie Bean says:

      I am glad you got the vaccine. I am retired and have been staying at home since last March. If I had my way the vaccines should have gone to the younger people who need to work or go to school. My husband and I would have gladly stayed home an extra few months until the young get sorted and back to their work/school. There were many retired people who wanted the younger people to get vaccinated before they did. But we don’t make the decisions and the decisions were based on hospitals not being overwhelmed. I do hope you can get back into your PhD program and get your life back to normal.

      • Nibbi says:

        Josie Bean, you sound like a really kind person and your message has briefly made me feel better about the world. Thank you & bless you.

        And PPP good on you for getting vaccinated! Hell yeah if you’re working in a hospital potentially exposing yourself all the time you ought to get the shot! I’m sorry you’ve been shamed.

  49. RedWeatherTiger says:

    I am so glad she got that vaccine. First, it would have been wasted otherwise. Second, she has a tiny boy who needs one of his parents to survive Covid! My God, the hate she has endured is just despicable, and I don’t know how she remains so positive. She has donated to so many charities over the last months, raising money via her online workouts and through her HOORAY FOR company. She has raised awareness and been a real light in what for her has been the very darkest time. And even if she had done none of that, she still deserves the vaccine–WE ALL DO! She waited in line with her toddler and expected to be turned away–but she got lucky. And she is so grateful that she did. How anyone could hate on her for that is just beyond words.

  50. Kevin says:

    I am so tired of Amanda Kloots. Yes, it was very tragic that her husband died and I am sorry for that. But this constant stream of PR about her doing nothing significant except drawing breath is exhausting.

  51. TyrantDestroyed says:

    Why there are “unused” vaccines being thrown away while there are parts in the world that will take months to receive their first vaccine due to critical shortage? Hmm.

    • MsIam says:

      Because they can’t stick it in the fridge to save if they don’t use it within a certain time period. Because it has to be stored in a certain type freezer so they have to make sure that’s in place and that it stays frozen until it gets there. I think there is a shelf stable vaccine waiting to be approved so hopefully this problem will be eliminated soon.

      • TyrantDestroyed says:

        I know that. But when a president signs and mantains an executive order upholding the ban on exporting vaccines you expect them to have a better distribution and vaccination plan for the citizens they claim to be putting firts than anyone else.

  52. Jen says:

    I’m happy for her and glad to know it. For people getting upset, it could be a long haul if you’re in a later group and don’t try to do the same. And yes time is a luxury but not out of the question for most people except those in rural areas. These wait lists call people at various times or you can choose to wait at larger sites. So glad she’s at least very low risk as the sole parent remaining from this awful disease. People are really mean to resent her over this. Also wake up, look at how this has been handled the past year. There are in theory what 280 million people who ought to be vaccinated? This prioritizing system was never going to work completely, it’s really just an effort. And it’s shameful to waste any of the unstorable vaccine when we all need it. Being upset about one person especially who has suffered this way is a really poor use of energy.

  53. Barbiem says:

    She should have Instagram so people whi want the vaccine know they dont have to wait patiently at home but can get up and get the shot if any are left… so they are not wasted. What’s the mix feelings?

  54. Jenn says:

    I understand the ire, since people with disabilities and high-risk conditions are consistently having a tough time getting vaccinated (states’ vaccination schedules generally overlook a bunch of the conditions that we’ve already been told are high-risk). Ironically, a lot of people who *live* with chronically-ill people ARE able to get vaccinated, because they’re classified as “caregivers.” It’s just incredibly disorganized and frustrating.

    However, I also know that *you never know why someone is jumping the line*. A lot of disabilities and chronic conditions are invisible. I noticed that Kloots left a celebratory note under JVN’s recent Instagram post about his being vaccinated. JVN is open about being HIV+, and he noted that again in his caption (presumably to head off any scolds), but it’s very much his choice to share with others that he is immunocompromised. Not everyone is comfortable talking to people about the chronic conditions they live with, which is an intensely personal subject. Not everyone has been diagnosed, either. So it’s important to reserve judgment anytime a “healthy” person gets vaccinated — you really don’t know whether they’re in a vulnerable population or not.

  55. jbyrdku says:

    I have no idea who she is. I had never heard of her or her husband until I started seeing near daily updates from her (on his status) in various media.

  56. Jess says:

    My god people, this woman lost her young husband and is probably terrified of dying the same way and leaving their child with no parents at all. Good for her getting vaccinated.

  57. Laura Cee says:

    I also don’t have a problem with her getting a vaccine however I wasn’t thrilled to see her on Page Six with the caption “ takes her son, Elvis, to a birthday party in Los Angeles”. Stay the F*** home!

  58. Amelie says:

    My aunt got her vaccine thanks to extra unused doses when she accompanied my uncle to his appointment. He is over 65 and has Parkinson’s and had just become eligible in CT. He was the last appointment of the day. The couple before my uncle asked if there were extra vaccines available and there were two, so my aunt managed to get the second extra dose. She called us and basically gloated to us for 20 minutes about it lol. Not in a “Haha I have a vaccine and you don’t” but she’s the sort to embellish and dramatize every single story she tells.

    Also in MA I learned that if you accompany a senior to their appointment, the person accompanying the senior is also eligible for a vaccine which makes total sense.

    • MsIam says:

      That’s good. Here in my state both people would have to be over 65. My husband got it but I couldn’t so he got his sister to go with him so she could get it.

  59. Mars says:

    What bothers me is that a White woman with the privilege of free time went to a predominantly Latino community to get leftover vaccines. Why is she going out of her way to a neighborhood where more than likely the essential workers of this city are located?

    • E says:

      @MARS Agreed, so many comments here ignoring that she specifically drove to East LA to get the shot, a site that was opened and prioritized, because it’s a community that has been disproportionately impacted by COVID and are essential workers due to systemic racism. There are a lot of comments with saying “but she didn’t make the system, the system is unequal, the system is the problem” while simultaneously congratulating/excusing her for benefiting from the said system. That’s white feminism and white fragility. And there are single parents all over the world, not just in Laurel Canyon.

      • Annoyed says:

        Thank you both! I’m also a widow with two young kids but I’m waiting my turn. News flash! She isn’t the only person to suffer through the death of her spouse. My 70-year-old parents have their first doses scheduled but haven’t gotten them yet, and here in CT they’ve waited a long time before opening up vaccinations to those between 65-75, so it’s mostly our oldest residents and healthcare workers who have been vaccinated so far. I work from home at a good job but even I don’t have the luxury of sitting around for hours waiting for unused doses. This is total white woman privilege as usual.

      • Watson says:

        E: your info changes my view on the situation significantly. yikes.

      • Leefie says:

        Absolutely agree with this assessment.

    • Mars says:

      And just to prove my point please see this article from the LA Times of privileged people misusing equity vaccine programs to jump ahead in line. Specifically the East LA site.

      https://apple.news/AKbDLpMvBTkGAfCDQ6xbAIg

  60. HeatherC says:

    If she was able to get the vaccine then I’m glad she got the vaccine. In the end everyone who can be vaccinated should be vaccinated. It’s how we stamped down diseases such as polio and small pox. Vaccines work.

    She isn’t to blame for the clumsy roll out of the vaccine at both the federal and state level.

    The goal is to vaccinate everyone. She’s a part of that and good for her!

  61. Bunny says:

    I simply wish that the Trump Administration, which had months to plan, had anticipated extras and planned for the eventuality by setting up phone trees or done other method that would have alerted people to the extras.

    They didn’t, though, and I’m not mad about her helping herself, helping herd immunity, and preventing tragic waste.

    I’d be ahead of her if the Trumpers had planned correctly, but they didn’t, and it is now up to forward thinking individuals to prevent waste and create community immunity. She made sure the leftovers didn’t go to waste. She contributed to all of us.

    I can’t do what she did, because my health won’t allow my to be out in the cold for that long, but when my time comes, I’ll gladly take that vaccine. Absolutely no shame. Glad she did it.

  62. Lolz says:

    She has a cAr. No everyone who needs it can get access. Be an authentic SHERO & drive someone there – hire someone an Uber – she doesn’t look like a struggling single mom to me? She has time and access to fitness amirite? Many widowed women have far less. Come on. For me this is gross.

  63. Azul says:

    Single parents with children should be right after medical perdón el.

  64. Nibbi says:

    I expected not to be fine with this but I am 100% fine with this.
    Bc what the hell- it’s a normal, regular thing to have EXTRA shots like this???!
    (I suppose it makes sense, bc if ppl don’t show up for appts or whatever)
    But what the hell! ZERO shots should go unadministered! I don’t care WHOSE arms they go into- get them into arms! Everyone’s arms! Whoever’s arms! They are precious and should not be wasted!
    She did something that apparently anyone can do- I had no idea this is a thing- so good on her!
    I even think it’s good she Instagrammed it- because now maybe more people will wait for any potential otherwise-wasted doses!
    Just insane that that vaxes should go to waste, or that people would cry over preferring to see them wasted rather than in arms!
    The more people vaccinated overall, the sooner this damn thing may finally, finally near an end!

  65. Jay (the Canadian one) says:

    She absolutely did the right thing by Instagramming it. What isn’t used has to be discarded. If more people are aware of this option, then there’ll be less waste.

  66. Bibz says:

    My partner and I did the same thing. Zero guilt. Doses would’ve been trashed otherwise.

    • Juju says:

      They shouldn’t have several doses left to be trashed. That means they’re doing a shitty job at organizing it. Plus, the Pfizer vaccine can be stored for up to five days in a regular fridge.

  67. AS says:

    People are very judgemental and there’s so much shaming for everything nowadays. You get a vaccine? How dare you? You must be privileged, rich, white, (fill in the blanks…). People react with their emotions rather than with reason. Unused vaccines get thrown away. And rather than throwing doses away, it’s smart to vaccine stand-bys so that things don’t go wasted. But no, public feels the need to pass a judgement and shame her because how dare she gets vaccinated! Or how dare she has time on her hand to go and wait! The degree of pearl clutching is incredible. This is why social media is bad. It opens you up to people who have nothing better to do but judge opinions on others all day long.

  68. Lissdogmom02 says:

    I mean I understand kinda but if everyone did what she did there could be fights as to who gets it if there are only a few left over & many people. Typically there is a wait list & the people running the vaccination site would have called the people on it-or that’s how ours works.
    I have nothing against her she seems harmless, however knowing when not to share is very important.

  69. Busy Bee says:

    There are so many people who are in the priority groups passing on the vaccine that at the end of the day there are unused vaccine doses. Anyone who lives within 15 minutes of a site providing injections can be put on an on call list. If you can come immediately you get the vaccine no matter your age. I see nothing wrong with what she did.

    • E says:

      This vaccination site is not in her neighborhood. She, by her own admission, drove 45 min across town to East LA. The East LA vaccination site was opened (and is run by FEMA as opposed to the county) to vaccinate an underserved community, a community that is underserved due to systemic racism. She drove by many vaccination sites (notably Dodger Stadium) specifically to this one. An important question is why. You can compare the stats in the vaccine racial disparity in different LA communities here: https://www.latimes.com/projects/la-covid-vaccine-racial-disparities-by-neighborhood-map/

      To give you an idea, in the Hollywood Hills, 1 out of 8 people out of vaccinated, COVID case rate, 1 out of 21. In Boyle Heights, 1 out of 15 people vaccinated, COVID case rate 1 out of 5 people.

      To overlook this this racial disparity in conversations regarding her instagram and to excuse/congratulate her is to say this racial disparity doesn’t matter, to hand wave it away., because “she got hers, yay!” She didn’t make the racist system, but she made sure to benefit from it, praise it and perpetuate it..as do many of the comments here.

  70. ao says:

    The woman lost a husband, due to Covid, I remember the news. It was awful, he did suffer a lot. Months of pain and agony. Now, she is a single widow and a mom, of course she took the vaccine. Imagine being so scared to leave your kids alone. I´m with her on this.

  71. Juju says:

    There aren’t just hgh amounts of vaccine going bad by the end of the day. That’s not a cake that wasn’t sold that ends in the trash. It’s a scandal that people can actually just wait in line to get the vaccine even if they aren’t supposed to.