‘Still waiting for my turn’: Primary care doctors are being left behind in the vaccine rollout

In March, Marc Price set up a tent outside his primary care practice in Malta, N.Y., where he and his colleagues could don their protective gear to see the daily stream of coronavirus patients. Three weeks ago, the tent was finally upgraded to a shed ahead of snowstorms. But, despite months of constant close contact with Covid-19 patients, staff at the practice have yet to be vaccinated.

“I’m still waiting for my turn,” said Price.

He is not alone among primary care physicians, many of whom are not affiliated with hospitals and so have no direct link to vaccine distribution at this stage. “The rollout so far has been heartbreaking to witness from the standpoint of primary care,” said Emily Maxson, chief medical officer at Aledade, a company that works with more than 7,300 providers across 27 states.