(Newer)
– When Charlome Pierce searched in January where her 96-year-old father could get a COVID vaccine, she found nowhere near their home in Virginia. Surry County’s only medical clinic didn’t have one, and the last pharmacy in an area of about 6,500 residents closed years ago. To get their photo, some residents took a ferry across the James River to cities like Williamsburg. Others drove more than an hour to reach a medical facility that offered 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 reportedly going to be up to seven hours. As the country’s campaign against the coronavirus moves from mass inoculation sites to drugstores and doctor’s offices, vaccination remains a challenge for residents of “ pharmacy deserts, ” communities without pharmacies or well-equipped health clinics, leaving a “ vaccine void. ” the AP.
To improve access, the federal government is working with 21 companies that run free-standing pharmacies or pharmacy services in supermarkets and other locations. More than 40,000 stores are expected to participate, and Biden’s government has said nearly 90% of Americans live within five miles. But there are gaps in the map: More than 400 rural counties with a total population of nearly 2.5 million people do not have a retail pharmacy included in the partnership. Challenges to getting a vaccination close to home aren’t limited to rural areas either: There is a relative shortage of medical supplies in some urban areas, particularly for black Americans, according to a study. Pierce, who did get a vaccine for her father at a clinic in February at a high school in Dendron, says that where people live shouldn’t hurt them. “You shouldn’t be marginalized by your zip code,” she says. Much more here.
(Read more stories about coronavirus vaccines.)