RALEIGH, NC (AP) – North Carolina is changing its vaccine distribution orientation to dissuade people from traveling long distances to receive a COVID-19 vaccine in the state.
Under the updated guidance of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, clarifying travel policies, North Carolina enacted stricter vaccination policies to improve North Carolina’s access to the vaccine.
“To promote public health goals for North Carolina, it is permitted not to offer vaccine to temporary travelers who do not reside, work or spend significant time in North Carolina,” said the state’s Department of Health and Human Services in a statement. communicated.
The move aims to give greater preference to residents in the state who have difficulty making appointments and entering photos due to high demand, but gaps still allow people to travel to the state without the need to present ID, proof of residence or Proof of job. People living outside the state can also explain to vaccine administrators that they are eligible for vaccines because they work or spend significant time in North Carolina or continue to receive ongoing health care in the state.
More than 27,000 people from other states received their vaccine in North Carolina last week, according to state health officials. The new guidance was first reported by WRAL and confirmed by The Associated Press.
The emails obtained by the AP show communications between the state health department and the CDC. In a February 9 message, the CDC informed North Carolina officials that “a state can decide that protecting the public health of its residents requires limiting vaccination to state residents and not temporary travelers who are not resident in the state. ”.
South Carolina Department of Health director Edward Simmer told state lawmakers Tuesday morning that the state did not require proof of residency for vaccines and that most people who received them lived in South Carolina.
Many people have turned to North Carolina amid frustration in their home states.
The appointment process was difficult for 68-year-old Lance Garrett. He made calls, surfed an online system he considered “stupid” and learned that it wouldn’t be until mid-April, when he could get a vaccine. Frustrated by the process, Monte. The Pleasant, South Carolina, resident acted on a neighbor’s complaint about a mass vaccination clinic in Charlotte allowing vaccination for elderly out-of-state residents.
Late one Saturday night in January, Garrett went back to the computer to update a web page before going to bed. To his surprise, a series of openings emerged. The next morning, he got in the car and made the three-hour drive to the Carolina Panthers football stadium in North Carolina.
Despite the long walk from the parking lot, the process on site could not have been more smooth. He has since scheduled several appointments for a second dose, but now plans to take the second dose of Moderna at a nearby pharmacy in Charleston, South Carolina. He has not violated any rules by crossing state borders, but has questioned the ethics of his decision before to make the trip.
His advice to others who are struggling to get vaccinated: “Pay no attention to the rules. If you can make three appointments, make three and cancel them if you are not yet qualified. “