Is It OK to Hunt for a Surplus Vaccine Dose?

I'm not eligible yet.

View in browser|nytimes.com Continue reading the main story March 20, 2021 Illustration by Tomi Um The Ethicist I'm Not Eligible for the Vaccine Yet. Can I Hunt for a Surplus Dose? The magazine's Ethicist columnist on whether securing a dose for yourself means taking someone else's spot in line — and more. By Kwame Anthony Appiah I'm a college student, and I recently learned that my city is going to be opening up spots on the Health Department website for anyone to be vaccinated if there is a surplus of vaccines. We're still in the first phase of vaccination, but if I were to look frequently at the vaccination website, I could in theory get an appointment. Since I am a healthy, young person who is not an essential worker or at risk, should I wait to get vaccinated in hopes that someone at greater risk or more essential could take the spot? Or should I keep looking at that website and take the dose as soon as it appears? I'm not taking someone else's spot, or am I? Read the Ethicist's response here. Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT If you've found this newsletter helpful, please consider subscribing to The New York Times — with this special offer. Your support makes our work possible. THIS WEEK'S MAGAZINE Art by Zach Lieberman Feature What Happens When Our Faces Are Tracked Everywhere We Go? When a secretive start-up scraped the internet to build a facial-recognition tool, it tested a legal and ethical limit — and blew the future of privacy in America wide open. By Kashmir Hill   Feature The Victims of Agent Orange the U.S. Has Never Acknowledged America has never taken responsibility for spraying the herbicide over Laos during the Vietnam War. But generations of ethnic minorities have endured the consequences. By George Black and Christopher Anderson Illustration by Choi Haeryung Feature Sports Meant So Much to Me. Why Wouldn't My Son Play? In-line skating, soccer, hockey — my 5-year-old didn't take to them. Was I doing something wrong? By Keith Gessen Illustration by Bráulio Amado Talk Ken Burns Still Has Faith in a Shared American Story "The thing that I've learned is that there is no 'them.'" By David Marchese MORE FROM THE MAGAZINE Photo illustration by Najeebah Al-Ghadban Screenland What Does the Dylan Farrow Home Video Reveal? The shocking centerpiece to the new HBO documentary "Allen v. Farrow" shows how mothers struggle to be believed. By Amanda Hess Photo illustration by Ina Jang Diagnosis His Sister Died 12 Days After Suffering Mysterious Spells. Now He Had Them. The clock was ticking. An M.R.I., a spinal tap and blood tests weren't revealing the culprit. Could it be psychological? By Lisa Sanders, M.D. Heami Lee for The New York Times. Food stylist: Maggie Ruggiero. Prop stylist: Rebecca Bartoshesky. Eat A Luscious Peanut-Butter Wafer Cake That Won't Give You a Toothache All the pleasure of the Nutty Buddy without the sugar overload. By Gabrielle Hamilton Illustration by Louise Zergaeng Pomeroy Judge John Hodgman on Using a Crockpot as a Humidifier A family struggles with alternative steaming methods. By John Hodgman Illustration by Joey Yu Letter of Recommendation How Chinese Dramas Helped Me Build a Relationship With My Sister After our mom died, I turned to her beloved pastime for comfort. It opened up a new way to communicate with my family. By Victoria Chang Illustration by Radio Tip How to Wait in Line Distract yourself to pass the time. If you can, embrace the camaraderie of wanting something en masse. By Malia Wollan   Poem : The Year of the Goldfinches A reminder that there is always a chance at being nurtured by the thing that brings you pain. By Ada Limón and Reginald Dwayne Betts Stay in touch: Follow us on Twitter (@NYTmag) or check us out on Instagram. Appreciated this email? Forward it to a friend and help us grow. Loved a story? Hated it? Write us a letter at magazine@nytimes.com. Did a friend forward this to you? Sign up here to get the magazine newsletter. Listen to narrated versions of our articles every week. Download Audm for iPhone or Android. Continue reading the main story Need help? Review our newsletter help page or contact us for assistance. You received this email because you signed up for The New York Times Magazine from The New York Times. To stop receiving these emails, unsubscribe or manage your email preferences. Subscribe to The TimesGet The New York Times app Connect with us on: Change Your EmailPrivacy PolicyContact UsCalifornia Notices The New York Times Company. 620 Eighth Avenue New York, NY 10018