A Bulwark reader in Alabama—the state with the lowest percentage of fully vaccinated adults, under 45 percent—wrote in to say that her efforts to get a third shot were well behind the trend there—at least for front-line responders. Which makes sense: Doctors, nurses, and pharmacists, were among the first to get vaccinated, closely followed by the immunocompromised and high at-risk populations, and they have good reason to be proactive about staying ahead of the spread. Our reader’s husband is immunocompromised. She writes:

“There’s a whole network of thinking people who feel like they have to talk in secret about securing third shots, while 6 out of 10 people in our state want nothing to do with any vax at all. We know Alabama has thrown away at least 65,000 doses so far, probably more.”

One thing that stood out for this reader was that there was not an easy way for people to find out about getting a third shot, not on the typical delivery providers’ websites. Since the third shot regime hasn’t been formally announced, that makes sense. It will probably take some time to be rolled out. But our reader informs me that, at least in some states, the process is not very complicated: It’s possible to walk into a CVS, show the vaccination record card confirming their first two shots, discuss with a medical professional the reason for seeking a third shot, and easily get it.