This post contains references to products from one or more of our advertisers. We may receive compensation when you click on links to those products. Terms apply to the offers listed on this page. For an explanation of our Advertising Policy, visit this page.In a strange turn of events, the same online sleuthing and quick-on-the-keyboard booking skills that were helpful when snagging a business-class saver airline award ticket to Australia, ordering Lysol wipes back in the peak mayhem of March 2020 or back when snagging hot concert tickets was a thing, are now precisely the skills that could save a life.Across the U.S., the COVID-19 vaccine has been available to eligible groups since late-2020. Unfortunately, being eligible in any given state is only half the battle. In many cases, you also have to snag an online appointment slot to get the shot — a task that has ranged from tough for the internet-savvy to borderline impossible for those that aren’t.Since late-December, I’ve been (obsessively) studying the vaccine rollout and associated booking process in order to help secure appointments for my parents who are in their 70s and other eligible family members. Eventually, I moved on to helping friends, friends of friends and anyone else I knew of who needed help in securing an appointment.