Patients are asked about eligibility during the initial online sign-up process, but that does not have to be verified when the client shows up for a vaccine. Thibault said those who get an appointment at the retail outlets should not be turned away if they don’t have an ID, and they do not have to prove that they are eligible. Thibault said both recipients eventually got vaccinated.
The Vaccine Hunters dispute Thibault’s account, insisting both clients had appointments. However, it was her understanding that one person did have an appointment, but the second did not. Yet, there are cases reported where it appeared rules were either misinterpreted or disregarded.Īmy Thibault, senior manager of Corporate Communications for CVS Health, confirmed one of the incidents happened at a pharmacy in White Plains, Maryland. They also stated that many retail pharmacies their volunteers have contacted have helped ensure patients could navigate the vaccination process.
Vaccine Hunter members said the incidents were reported at retail pharmacies, not at the state’s mass vaccination sites or county-run health department vaccination locations. “All it takes is one negative experience for that to spread among a community, making it even less likely that more people will come forward to address these issues,” Albornoz said. “We don’t know how widespread this is, but to have multiple incidents like this come up with the same storyline behind them is really, really troubling.”Īlbornoz said the incidents could prevent Maryland’s hardest-hit residents, many of whom are immigrants already anxious to provide identification, from getting vaccinated against the coronavirus, which has hit their communities especially hard. “This doesn’t appear to be just a single incident,” Hucker said. “What was happening,” said Lynch, was “the person that was the gatekeeper at the front was denying access based on his understanding of the rules.” In one case, Lynch said two clergy members brought W-2 forms to confirm their eligibility for vaccination, “and they were told that they had to have a letter from their employer.” When a member of the Vaccine Hunters got on the phone with the pharmacist, Lynch said the pharmacist confirmed that the two clergy members were indeed eligible for their vaccinations. Maisie Lynch, a Montgomery County teacher and one of the group’s organizers, told reporters that immigrants - documented and undocumented - “have gone to retail pharmacies and are being asked for paperwork that is not being asked of other folks, especially white folks.”Īt a Monday briefing with Montgomery County Council President Tom Hucker and Vice President Gabe Albornoz, Lynch said her group has been getting calls from people who have been refused vaccinations, even though they had appointments and showed their emails or text messages verifying they signed up to be vaccinated.
Known as “ The Vaccine Hunters,” the group helps people get access to COVID-19 vaccine appointments. Business & Finance Click to expand menu.Ī group of Montgomery County, Maryland, teachers who volunteer to help people access COVID-19 vaccines say some residents are being singled out at pharmacies and asked to provide multiple forms of identification to prove their eligibility when that’s not the case.
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