In rural America, a “ vaccine gap ”



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(Journalist)
–When Charlome Pierce searched for where her 96-year-old father could get the COVID vaccine in January, she found no options near their home in Virginia. Surry County’s only medical clinic did not have one, and the last pharmacy in an area with about 6,500 residents closed years ago. To get their photos, some locals took a ferry across the James River to towns like Williamsburg. Others drove over an hour to reach a medical facility offering the vaccine. At one point, Pierce heard about a state-run vaccination event at 45 minutes – but no appointments were available anymore, with a wait that reportedly lasted up to seven hours. As the national coronavirus campaign shifts from mass inoculation sites to pharmacies 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”, by the AP.

To improve access, the federal government has partnered with 21 companies that operate stand-alone pharmacies or pharmacy services in grocery stores and other locations. More than 40,000 stores are expected to participate, and the Biden administration said nearly 90% of Americans live within 5 miles of one. But there are loopholes in the map: more than 400 rural counties with a combined population of nearly 2.5 million people do not have a retail pharmacy included in the partnership. The challenges of getting a vaccine vaccinated near their homes aren’t limited to rural areas either – there is a relative shortage of medical facilities in some urban areas, especially for black Americans, according to a study. Pierce, who got a shot for his father at a February clinic at a high school in Dendron, says where people live shouldn’t put them at a disadvantage. “You shouldn’t be marginalized by your zip code,” she says. Much more here.

(Read more stories about coronavirus vaccines.)



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