New Website Lets You Register for Leftover COVID-19 Vaccine

Pretty much everything about the COVID-19 pandemic over the past year has been about waiting.

First, it was waiting to see if the virus would arrive in our area and then waiting to see how severe the spread would be.

Once we discovered how bad it could be we then shifted to waiting things out at home, hoping that social distancing would get us back to 'normal' sooner rather than later.

Get our free mobile app

Now the waiting is all about getting vaccinated as we anxiously await our turn in line to come up.

There is some encouraging news on that front.

USA Today is reporting that the United States may soon be seeing a surplus of vaccines available, with 500 million doses expected to be shipped around the country in the next two months.

That could mean more vaccines than people that are currently eligible to receive them.

USA Today also says that's led to the creation of a new website that acts as a standby list for COVID-19 vaccines, connecting people with doses that would otherwise be discarded.

Dr. B promises to text users based on their eligibility status when there are extra doses nearby in jeopardy of going unused. So far more than 600,000 people have signed up.

When you register, you'll be asked for your name, phone number, zip code, and date of birth.

You can then indicate which underlying health conditions if any, might help you move up in line for the vaccine. You'll also be asked for your occupation and whether or not you live in a group setting.

The website is currently only tracking in two states - Arkansas and New York - but says that will expand to 30 states in the next few weeks.

No word yet on whether South Dakota will be included going forward.