‘Standby’ service for unused doses

People who want the COVID-19 vaccine but aren’t yet eligible or just can’t find an appointment can now sign up for unused doses that would otherwise be thrown out or given away randomly through a new standby service set to roll out across the nation.

The service, dubbed Dr. B and created by the founder of medical booking service Zocdoc, is aiming to ensure no precious jabs ever go to waste by connecting people with providers that have unused doses before they expire and prioritizing those who need it most.

“Vaccine sites all over the country have experienced patients that were canceling or not showing up for their vaccine appointments 20 to 30 percent of the time, and what that resulted in was some vaccines going to waste,” creator Cyrus Massoumi told The Post.

In the worst-case scenarios, vaccines have been thrown away. But other times they are doled out at random, like to someone “waiting in line to buy potato chips at the pharmacy” or to friends of vaccine providers, Massoumi said.

So far, Dr. B has launched pilot programs at two vaccine-distribution sites — one in Arkansas and one in Queens that started last week — and at least 200 providers in 30 states are on the wait list. “Multiple new sites” in the Big Apple are set to start using the service this week, Massoumi said.

While those who aren’t yet eligible for the vaccine can get access through Dr. B, the Web site functions to prioritize the neediest first.

The first three New Yorkers to use the service were all people in prioritized groups who are eligible but couldn’t secure an appointment on their own — a nurse who didn’t work for a large health system, a Spanish speaker over the age of 65 and another health-care worker, the founder said. More than half a million people nationwide have signed up for the service.