There is, officially speaking, no such thing as a standby line for COVID-19 vaccinations in Los Angeles County.

But some clinics have soon-to-expire doses left over at the end of the day or during an early-afternoon lull, and word has quickly spread about this potential back door to vaccine access. Some who flock to the sites spend hours waiting in the hope of catching a lucky break.

Kedren Community Health Center in South Los Angeles and the Balboa Sports Complex in Encino have been at the center of the rumor mill in recent days, drawing large crowds that begin assembling before dawn. Some people arrive from neighborhoods far from the vaccination sites.

Those crowds have included seniors who, despite being eligible to receive the shots, had failed to secure appointments. But many of the others camped out in line do not qualify for doses under the state’s phased system of distribution.

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