Primary-care physicians have unparalleled access to older patients with chronic conditions and communities of color. What they don’t have is a supply of COVID-19 vaccines
Family doctors are a trusted gateway to the health care system for scores of New Jersey residents including many with underlying medical conditions but they have so far played a limited role in the state’s efforts to distribute COVID-19 vaccines.
While short supply has hampered the immunization process from the start, physicians in New Jersey and elsewhere said they stand ready to assist as more doses become available. Primary-care doctors are uniquely positioned to help reach vulnerable individuals considered priorities for vaccination, they note, and have a long history of providing flu shots and other inoculations.