Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images This story is available exclusively to Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now. Healthcare providers across the US fear legal trouble for giving away unclaimed COVID shots. Many of them are giving the vaccines away to avoid waste before they expire. Medical groups and local authorities want better guidance and flexibility on vaccine distribution. Doctors and other healthcare workers are finding themselves straddling a confusing line between making sure no COVID vaccine goes to waste, and committing potential crimes if they give away unclaimed shots. When people don't show up for their vaccine appointments, pharmacists and doctors are stuck with extra doses that could end up in the trash if not used before their short shelf-life runs out.