and last updated 2021-02-19 23:05:03-05 SUFFOLK, Va. â Desperate to get the COVID-19 vaccine, 69-year-old Sandi Thigpen of Suffolk recently crossed the state line, trying her luck in North Carolina. She said she went to three different counties only to leave with no shot and big disappointment. âWeâve tried everywhere,â she said. âThey said they couldnât turn us away because it is a federal vaccine, but they had to give it to their local residents first.â Soon after, Thigpen got a phone call about making an appointment for the shot. The timing of the call and the unfamiliar number made her believe she was being roped into a scam.