Is There A Vaccine Void In Rural America?
Read Time:1 Minute, 58 Second
The big question on Charlotte Pierce’s mind was finding where her 96-year-old father could get a COVID vaccine in January, she found zero options anywhere near their home in Virginia. It was a virtual vaccine desert in our part of the country.
The only medical clinic in Surry County had zero vaccines, and the last pharmacy in an area with roughly 6,500 residents closed years ago. To get their inoculations, some residents took a ferry across the James River to cities such as Williamsburg. Others drove more than an hour to reach a medical facility offering the vaccine.
At one point, Pierce heard about a state-run vaccination event 45 minutes away—but no more appointments were available, with a wait there reportedly lasting up to seven hours. As the nation’s campaign against the coronavirus moves from mass inoculation sites to drugstores and doctors’ offices, getting vaccinated remains a challenge for residents of “pharmacy deserts,” communities without pharmacies or well-equipped health clinics, leaving a “vaccine void,” per the AP.
To improve access, the federal government has partnered with 21 companies that run free-standing pharmacies or pharmacy services inside grocery stores and other locations. More than 40,000 stores are expected to take part, and the Biden administration has said that nearly 90% of Americans live within 5 miles of one. But there are gaps in the map: More than 400 rural counties with a combined population of nearly 2.5 million people lack a retail pharmacy that’s included in the partnership.
Challenges to obtaining a vaccine shot near home aren’t limited to rural areas, either: There’s a relative dearth of medical facilities in some urban areas, particularly for Black Americans, per a study. Pierce, who did secure a vaccine for her dad at a February clinic at a high school in Dendron, says where people live shouldn’t place them at a disadvantage. “You shouldn’t be marginalized by your zip code,” she says. Much more here.
Edited via Newser.
Happy
0 %
Sad
0 %
Excited
0 %
Sleepy
0 %
Angry
0 %
Surprise
0 %
0
0
Wow Bill, that’s amazing since the governor of FloriDuh- Con DeathSantis, has now prevented anyone who isn’t a Florida resident from getting a vaccine here. Also, not everyone is lucky enough to be retired and many people have to actually work for their money. Minimum wage workers can’t afford to take a day, much less 2, off work. Then there are people who don’t drive, don’t have a car, or are physically frail and can’t handle a drive that far. It will take time since the vaccine program just started in earnest on January 20th of this year.
I am not sure but if one thinks it is important they will find a way. While Alabama was still fiddling its fingers and thinking about how they were going to vaccinate its population I got on the computer and found a slot in Crestview, Florida. Sure, it was a 4 1/2 hour drive down there but at 77 what else did I have to do. I got an appointment at 10 AM on January 8. So I drove down the day before, spent the night, got up the next day and got my shot, and drove back home. A month later I did a repeat of the same thing and got my second shot. In both cases, it took me 15 minutes to get my shot and get on my way. Quit your fucking whining. Go get your shot and go home.
Now Mr. Bill you are my kind of guy. Just gets the job done without whining. Bravo.