A group of teachers in Montgomery County, Maryland, is making residents aware of requests for multiple forms of identification when it is not necessary to be vaccinated.
A group of teachers from Montgomery County, Maryland, who offered to help people gain access to COVID-19 vaccines, say some residents are being selected in pharmacies and asked to provide various forms of identification to prove their eligibility, when this is not the case.
Known as “The Vaccine Hunters”, the group helps people gain access to COVID-19 vaccine markings. Maisie Lynch, a teacher from Montgomery County and one of the group’s organizers, told reporters that immigrants – both documented and undocumented – “went to retail pharmacies and are being asked for papers that are not being asked of other people, especially white ”.
At a meeting on Monday with Montgomery County Council President Tom Hucker and Vice President Gabe Albornoz, Lynch said his group has been receiving calls from people who have been vaccinated, although they have commitments and show their concerns. emails or text messages confirming that they signed up to be vaccinated.
In one case, Lynch said that two members of the clergy brought W-2 forms to confirm their eligibility for vaccination, “and they were told they should receive a letter from their employer”. When a member of the Vaccine Hunters called the pharmacist, Lynch said the pharmacist confirmed that the two members of the clergy were indeed eligible for the vaccines.
“What was going on,” said Lynch, was “the person who was the doorman at the front was denying access based on his understanding of the rules.”
“This does not appear to be just a single incident,” said Hucker. “We don’t know how widespread it is, but having multiple incidents like this coming up with the same storyline behind them is very, very worrying.”
Albornoz said the incidents could prevent the most affected residents of Maryland, many of whom are immigrants already eager to provide identification, from being vaccinated against the coronavirus, which has hit their communities particularly hard.
“One negative experience is enough for this to spread among the community, making it even less likely that more people will come forward to address these issues,” said Albornoz.
Vaccine Hunter members said the incidents were reported at retail pharmacies, not state mass vaccination sites or county-administered health department vaccination sites.
They also said that many retail pharmacies that their volunteers contacted helped ensure that patients were able to navigate the vaccination process. However, there are reported cases where it appears that the rules have been misinterpreted or disregarded.
Amy Thibault, senior manager of Corporate Communications at CVS Health, confirmed that one of the incidents happened at a pharmacy in White Plains, Maryland. However, she understood that one person had an appointment, but the second did not.
The Vaccine Hunters dispute Thibault’s account, insisting that both clients had an appointment. Thibault said that both recipients were vaccinated.
Thibault said that those who make an appointment at points of sale should not be refused if they do not have an identity document and do not need to prove that they are eligible. Patients are asked about eligibility during the initial online application process, but this need not be verified when the client appears for a vaccine.
“We are counting on the patient to answer questions accurately” during the online application process, “and this is the only time they will be asked about eligibility,” said Thibault. They should not be asked about this when they arrive at the pharmacy for consultation.
Thibault explained that pharmacies that carry out vaccines must attest to the fact that they requested identification as part of a federal requirement, although recipients are not required to show their identity.
“If a person does not have an identity with them or is not comfortable sharing their identity, they will not be rejected,” said Thibault. “We want 100% to make sure that everyone gets this vaccine as soon as possible. “
Lynch and the Vaccine Hunters want to see a hotline so residents can call for answers to questions about vaccines and the vaccination process. She also said the group would like to see a signage list of exactly what documentation vaccine recipients need to have at vaccination sites run by private providers, as well as in districts and states.
The Maryland Department of Health has published a list of items to bring to your vaccination appointment in the FAQ section of the COVIDLINK website.
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