Distribution of CVS’ Covid-19 vaccine shows bias
An initial CVS Pharmacy COVID-19 vaccination rollout plan bypasses urban areas further jeopardizing at risk communities.
No vaccine availability in CVS stores located in Atlantic City, Asbury Park, Camden, Jersey City, Newark, Trenton, plus other locales with majority Black and Hispanic populations, shows disregard for non-white and poor residents who suffer disproportionately from COVID-19.
Vaccine access inequities appear between neighboring towns and cities as wealth or ethnicity gain vaccine opportunities. Yes, to a CVS in West Orange but no vaccine in East Orange.
North Plainfield? Yes. Plainfield? No. CVS stores in predominantly white East Brunswick and North Brunswick offer vaccinations. Residents in extremely diverse New Brunswick must find vaccines outside their neighborhoods.
While news reports press a narrative that past indiscretions by U.S. government and scientists built distrust among Blacks, Native Americans, other minorities and poor people and stands as a reason those groups show tepid intentions to receive a COVID-19 vaccine, availability remains a key factor.
Tara Burke, media relations specialist for CVS’ Eastern Region, offered insights via email.
“As part of the Federal Pharmacy Program, CVS Health has been allocated a limited amount of vaccine supply for the 17 states that have currently been announced. Specific CVS Pharmacy locations within these 17 states have been chosen based on population density and demographics including the CDC’s Social Vulnerability Index, with the goal of reaching the most in-need populations,” Burke wrote.
The Centers for Disease Control references social vulnerability as the potential of negative effects on communities caused by external stresses on human health.
CDC Social Vulnerability Index(CDC SVI) uses 15 U.S. census variables to help local officials identify communities that may need support before, during, or after disasters.
Per the organization’s website, “The CDC SVI ranks each tract on 15 social factors, including poverty, lack of vehicle access, and crowded housing, and groups them into four related themes ....... Each tract receives a separate ranking for each of the four themes, as well as an overall ranking.
Under these guidelines and within SVI parameters, urban and rural locations represent vital initiation points for vaccine distribution.
On a scale from 0 to 1, Mercer County scores .5380 (moderate ranking) on the SVI chart while most areas of Trenton ebb near .9310, making the city a high level of vulnerability site. Yet, neither of the two CVS stores located in Trenton offer the vaccine.
Burke noted that CVS “also selected locations with layouts best suited for setting up vaccination clinics and the ability to safely manage social distancing within our stores. As more vaccine supply becomes available, we expect our pharmacies to be activated in more states and to add more locations within each state.”
As of this week, more than 1.8 million vaccine doses have been administered in New Jersey and more than 1.2 million individuals have received at least one dose.
In early February, New Jersey white residents had received 48% of the doses administered; Hispanics 5% of the shots; and Black residents received 3% of the COVID-19 vaccines. (No racial or ethnic data is available for 19% of the doses provided.)
Still, seemingly biased current vaccine distribution efforts increase mistrust in both government and the medical society.
CVS stores offering COVID-19 vaccine:
Brigantine Browns Mills Cedar Grove Chatham Dumont
East Brunswick Edison Elizabeth Englewood Ewing Elizabeth Flemington Gibbsboro Glassboro Green Brook Hackettstown Harrison Twp. Hazlet Highlands Lawrenceville Ledgewood Lodi
Long Branch North Brunswick North Plainfield Northvale Pennsauken Plainsboro Princeton Ringwood Seaside Heights Tabernacle Teaneck Union Union City Vernon Villas Vineland Voorhees West Orange Whiting Willingboro