If you make an appointment to get a COVID-19 vaccine, show up.  Since demand for the vaccine still far outpaces supply, it’s led some Iowans to make multiple appointments as they search for one closer to home. Kate Gainer, C-E-O of the Iowa Pharmacy Association, says when people don’t cancel unwanted appointments, it can lead to wasted doses.

“It does create some workflow concerns. It creates concern over waste and having doses that have a very short window of time when they can be used. Those no-show appointments, if not canceled, are difficult to get rescheduled.”

Gainer says when people schedule an appointment for a first dose at a pharmacy far from their home, they’ll shop around for a second dose nearby, but this causes supply issues for pharmacies.  She says you should get both shots, if you’re getting the Moderna or Pfizer vaccines, at the same place.