UpdatedFri, Mar 5, 2021 at 3:17 pm ET
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CVS is offering the COVID-19 vaccine in more communities since initially opening appointments in Virginia on Feb. 12. (Emily Leayman/Patch)
VIRGINIA CVS has significantly increased the number of locations that are administering COVID-19 vaccinations in Virginia and other states.
CVS locations in 64 Virginia communities are offering vaccine scheduling, up from 33 communities when the company began offering vaccine appointments on Feb. 12. Vaccine appointments are available to people 65 and older, as well as K-12 teachers, daycare and preschool workers, and staff.
CVS is part of the Federal Retail Pharmacy Partnership Program for COVID-19 vaccines, collaboration between the federal government, states and territories, and 21 national pharmacy partners. In Virginia, CVS and Safeway have their own appointment scheduling systems, while other pharmacies are helping health departments work on their own vaccine wait lists.
The other dilemma is that many states and vaccine providers don t have reliable registries to connect people with appointments in a timely manner. Even the CDC s new Vaccine Finder website only shows which pharmacies have vaccine shipments, rather than clue people into when those locations actually have appointments available to book.
At every turn, it s a race against demand to hit a moving target.
The process remains so finicky that volunteer vaccine angels across the country are doing the time-consuming work of tracking down appointments online for those who are eligible but lack the time and technology skills to get something firm on a calendar. Others have formed Facebook groups to offer technical tips and guidance on vaccine appointment scheduling.
Jewel Osco COVID Vaccine Registration Details and How to Book an Appointment newsweek.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from newsweek.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
People with cancer are at increased risk of illness and death from the COVID-19 virus. Huntsman Cancer Institute is among many cancer centers and organizations nationwide urging government leaders and health departments to prioritize access to COVID-19 vaccines for people with cancer and survivors of cancer.
NorthJersey.com
People with disabilities needed to be at the top of the list as CVS began to vaccinate state residents against COVID-19 this week. They were not, and once again they were forgotten, advocates said.
“Historically people with disabilities are always left out of emergency planning. We have been saying this for years. We have been fighting for the past how many months, step by step of the way, to get ourselves included,” said Carole Tonks, with the Alliance Center for Independence, which promotes independent living for people with disabilities in Middlesex, Somerset and Union counties.
As the state opens vaccination centers to an estimated 3 million to 3.5 million residents in high-risk categories, its disabled residents are vying to be heard, saying the conditions that put them at high risk are being ignored.