But the largely first-come first-serve system, which heavily relies on someone’s ability to sign up for the vaccine by navigating a complicated website or driving to where doses are available, is reinforcing many of the country’s inequities. In many cities, individuals from wealthier, largely white neighborhoods, are taking up more than their representative share of the limited supply of the vaccine.
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“Chasing the vaccine has been almost a full-time job,” said Dr. Katelin Haley, a family medicine doctor in Lewes, Del.Credit.Mark Makela for The New York Times
“Primary care doctors have been a loud and frequent voice in the conversation we have had on a path to equity,” said Dr. Cameron Webb, an internist who is now a senior policy adviser for Covid equity to the White House. He pointed to the administration’s recent efforts to supply vaccines to federally qualified health centers, which serve individuals who are likely to be at the highest risk from the virus an
Published Feb. 8, 2021Updated Feb. 15, 2021
For a vast majority of Americans, a coronavirus vaccine is like sleep for a new parent: It’s all you can think about, even if you have no idea when you will get it.
People are scrolling through perpetually crashing websites at 3 a.m., or driving 150 miles each way in the snow. Others are lining up at grocery stores for hours on end, hoping to snag a leftover shot, or racing to hospitals amid rumors of extra doses.
Many more are tossing in bed in the dark, praying that tomorrow will be their mother’s lucky day.