SURRY, Virginia (AP) – When Charlome Pierce looked for where her 96-year-old father might receive a COVID-19 vaccine in January, he found zero options anywhere near their Virginia home. The only medical clinic in Surry County did not have the last pharmacy in an area of about 6,500 people and more land than Chicago closed years ago.
To get the shots, some residents took a ferry across the James River to cities like Williamsburg. Others drove more than an hour past farms and forests – the county received its first traffic light in 2007 – to reach a medical unit that offers the vaccine.
At one point, Pierce heard about a state-run vaccination event 45 minutes away, no other appointments were available, which was perhaps the best: the wait there could take up to seven hours.
“That would have been a daunting task,” she said, citing her father’s health and frequent need to use the bathroom. “I could not have made him sit in a car and wait for something to happen. We are not in a third world country. ”
As the national coronavirus campaign moves from mass inoculation sites to pharmacies and medical offices, vaccination remains a challenge for residents of “pharmacy deserts”, communities without pharmacies or well-equipped health clinics. To improve access, ”the federal government has partnered with 21 companies that run independent pharmacies or pharmacy services in grocery stores and other locations.
It is expected to take part in more than 40,000 stores, and the Biden administration said nearly 90 percent of Americans live within five miles of one, from Hy-Vee and Walmart to Costco and Rite-Aid.
But there are gaps in the map: over 400 rural counties with a combined population of almost 2.5 million people do not have a retail pharmacy included in the partnership. More than 100 of these counties either do not have a pharmacy or have a pharmacy that has historically not provided services such as influenza vaccines and possibly does not have the equipment or staff certified to vaccinate customers.
Independent pharmacies that have traditionally served rural areas have disappeared, prescription mail losses and more competition from chains such as Walgreen and CVS with more power to negotiate with insurance companies, according to Keith Mueller, director RUPRI Center of the University of Iowa. Analysis of rural health policy.
“There are a lot of counties that would be left out” of the Federal Retail Pharmacy Program, said Mueller, whose research center compiled pharmacy data for the 400 counties. “Especially in the western states, you have a vast geography and very few people.”
The challenges of getting a vaccine shot near the house are not limited to rural areas. According to a study, there is a relative lack of medical facilities in some urban areas, especially for black Americans. published in February by the University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy and the West Health Policy Center.
The study listed 69 counties in which black residents were more likely to travel more than a mile to reach a potential vaccination site, including a federally qualified pharmacy, hospital or health center. One-third of these counties were urban, including the home counties of cities such as Atlanta, Houston, Dallas, Detroit and New Orleans.
In addition, the study identified 94 counties in which black residents were much more likely than white residents to walk more than 10 miles to reach a potential vaccination site. The counties were largely concentrated in the southeastern United States – Virginia had the most of any state with 16 – and Texas.
The lack of pharmacies and other medical infrastructure in some of the nation’s rural areas highlights health disparities that became more pronounced during the coronavirus pandemic, which disproportionately affected members of racial minorities and lower-income groups.
The former pharmacy in Surry County, where about 40% of the population is black, is now a cafe. No one seems to remember exactly when Surry Drug. Co hung up, but cafe co-owner Sarah Mayo remembers going there as a child. Now she drives for 45 minutes to a Walmart or CVS.
“I don’t know if more people would get the vaccine” if the pharmacy still existed, said Mayo, 62. “But at least you would have a local person you trust who would explain the pros and cons.”
Surry County residents also used to take prescriptions at Wakefield Pharmacy in neighboring Sussex County until they closed in November. The owner, Russell Alan Garner, wanted to retire and could not find a buyer.
“We became dinosaurs,” Garner said.
In January, Surry County officials saw the arrival of vaccines in other parts of Virginia, which had more people or more cases of coronavirus. Doses of fear may not be around for months, or may even begin to put pressure on state officials.
In a letter to the governor’s office, Surry joined surrounding communities in expressing concern about the “fairness” of the vaccine, especially for low-income and other disadvantaged populations. Some of these communities said they had reallocated money to support vaccination efforts.
“The thing about living in a rural community is that you’re often overlooked by everyone, from politicians to agencies,” said county supervisor Michael Drewry.
Surry County Administrator Melissa Rollins wrote to the regional health district, saying driving outside the county was not practical for most residents. She said Surry was willing to sponsor a mass vaccination site, devised a plan to recruit people who could administer vaccines and ensure that eligible residents would be ready.
The first clinic in Surry County took place on February 6 at the high school in the small town of Dendron. The school district inoculated teachers and other staff members when county and regional health district staff learned of the additional doses, prompting them to speak.
Surry already had a waiting list of eligible people through a survey designed to reach vulnerable residents. He used his emergency alert telephone system because the internet access is low.
Pierce received the phone and left quickly with her father, Charles Robbins. It was a 20 minute drive to high school and a two hour wait. Pierce, 64, also received a blow, along with 240 other people that day.
Three other vaccination clinics took place in the county. And the regional health district has administered 1,080 doses there since March 2. The number represents the majority of the doses received by the inhabitants of the county, although several hundred received their fires outside the county.
All in all, about 1,800 county residents received at least one dose. It represents about 28% of the population and was almost twice the average state rate. About half of the people who received the vaccines are black.
The Virginia Department of Health said vaccine distribution was based on population and COVID rates. But going further, the department said it is considering changes to ensure more geographical and racial equity.
Pierce and her father were relieved to receive the second blow at the end of February. But she said Surry’s rural character put her at a disadvantage at first.
“I have close friends, people who are essential workers, who had to walk an hour to get a hit,” she said. “You shouldn’t be marginalized by your zip code.”
But driving long distances is a way of life for many in the countryside, said Bruce Adams, a calf and commissioner for San Juan County, Utah, which is close to the size of New Jersey and overlaps with the Navajo nation.
“I got both shots and had to drive 44 miles back and forth for each to a public health center,” said Adams, 71. “I don’t think it’s more of a problem than anything else we normally do in our lives … go to the doctor, the dentist, get a haircut.”