Cancer Patient and Husband Get Surprise COVID Vaccine on Trip to Walgreens

A Walgreens in Louisville found itself in a pickle on Christmas Eve: It had more coronavirus vaccine doses than it needed to fulfill orders for long-term care facilities, but the doses only have a five-day shelf life. So, after offering them to local first responders, store team members and older residents, the doses were made available to anyone who wanted one. Andrew Masterson, co-owner of a local seafood restaurant, and his wife, a stage 4 cancer patient, received a call from a friend who said vaccines were being offered at the store. “[We] ran right up. It was pure luck,” Masterson said. Walgreens didn’t say how many extra doses it had but said it was a one-off. “We are committed to eliminating scenarios where vaccine expires due to shelf life while at the same time focusing our efforts on immunizing eligible patient populations in each roll-out phase,” the company said.