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Opinion: Getting COVID-19 vaccines to rural Americans is harder than it looks – but there are ways to lift the barriers
Bennett Doughty and Pamela Stewart Fahs
The enormous job of vaccinating the nation is underway, but for rural Americans, getting a COVID-19 vaccine becomes harder the farther they are from urban centers.
The current vaccines’ cold storage requirements and shipping rules mean many rural hospitals can’t serve as vaccination distribution hubs. That can leave rural residents – about 20% of the U.S. population in all – traveling long distances, if they’re able to travel at all.
The enormous job of vaccinating the nation is underway, but for rural Americans, getting a COVID-19 vaccine becomes harder the farther they are from urban centers.
Getting the word to rural residents about when they can be vaccinated isn’t easy either, and the extraordinary amount of misinformation downplaying the risk of the coronavirus this past year has had an impact on rural residents’ willingness to get the vaccine.
We work in ruralhealth care settings and have been examining the barriers to health care for these patients to find ways to ensure health and safety.
The problem with big batches and cold storage
Why getting COVID-19 vaccines to rural Americans is harder than it looks, and how to lift the barriers ctpost.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from ctpost.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Getting COVID-19 vaccines to rural Americans is harder than it looks
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Dr. Michelle Chester holds a vial of the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine at Long Island Jewish Medical Center Northwell Health in New York City on Monday, December 14, 2020. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo
Dec. 28 (UPI) The enormous job of vaccinating the nation is underway, but for rural Americans, getting a COVID-19 vaccine becomes harder the farther they are from urban centers.
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Getting the word to rural residents about when they can be vaccinated isn t easy either, and the extraordinary amount of misinformation downplaying the risk of the coronavirus this past year has had an impact on rural residents willingness to get the vaccine.