‘Vaccine vacationers’ journey hours to Roanoke for pharmacy appointments

ROANOKE, VA. – Almost one in four Virginians has received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine and for some the process has been far from easy.

There are thousands of Virgins calling themselves “vaccine hunters” who work countless hours online tracking down and booking appointments. Many of them travel far beyond their health districts to get it, and Roanoke has become a preferred destination.

The first half of 2021 will be remembered as the story of two worlds for those who were vaccinated and those who weren’t.

Chris DeMay lives in Northern Virginia and is the administrator of the NoVA Vaccine Hunters group on Facebook. With more than 13,000 members, it was a lifeline for many desperate for the vaccine.

“We have a lot of success stories from people who say they wouldn’t have found the vaccine otherwise they didn’t know how to get their shot before joining the group,” DeMay said.

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His group is one of a very few out there including a group focused on Richmond. Your success relies on the power in numbers through crowdsourced appointments.

Members of the group search pharmacy appointments online and post availabilities for other members of the group. Sometimes they are local to a member and sometimes they are not. As soon as available appointments are identified, group members can pick them up on site. Some posts encouraged people to check right after midnight because they believed appointments were made available at that time.

“Nobody wants to drive an hour, nobody wants to drive an hour and a half to get a vaccine, they pass 20 CVS on the way,” DeMay said.

But people do just that. A search for ‘Roanoke’ in the groups shows that it has become a popular destination over the past two months.

One member wrote in part, “We’re going from Chesterfield to Roanoke and Bedford to shoot.”

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“Hello, I live in Alexandria,” began another post. “I have an appointment with a Roanoke Kroger tomorrow,” the guard continued.

A member who appears to be on the other side of the state offered her the opportunity to search for people online. “What are the best places to look for Kroger, it seems Roanoke?” the post said.

The practice is known as vaccine tourism and, according to Dr. James Peterson, an expert in medical ethics and professor at Roanoke College, nothing new.

While some see it as gamifying the system, Dr. Peterson, as long as people don’t break the rules, every shot counts.

“Anyone who isn’t vaccinated is a running lab where COVID becomes more severe or contagious for everyone else,” said Dr. Peterson. “Every time someone gets vaccinated somewhere, it’s better for everyone else.”

A quick search of the groups revealed cases of nearly three dozen people traveling to the Roanoke Health District from far outside, either to identify their hometown and the location of their appointment themselves, or to identify their appointment location and list a residence on their profile .

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While some in our area have questioned this practice, people who use this method do not break the rules. The federal government provides the cans and mandates that no one can turn down for a shot on the basis of residence.

“I don’t love it, I mean, I understand the desperation so many people face trying to get the vaccine and we have to acknowledge that reality,” said state vaccination coordinator Dr. Danny Avula.

Virginia distributed doses based on population size, and some eligible people in our area said they had difficulty getting an appointment or that they hadn’t been vaccinated at all.

Dr. However, Avula points out high vaccination rates in our districts. The vaccination rate in the Roanoke Valley is higher than most others in the Commonwealth.

“We cannot be overly restrictive, and we have to trust people’s honesty and goodwill to a certain extent, but we are at a stage where we will all get through as the weeks go by,” said Dr. Avula.

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Since President Biden’s deadline is now only a few weeks for any adult, heads of state expect to exceed this deadline.

DeMay said he saw people from Roanoke use the website to secure appointments in Richmond and Northern Virginia, adding that appointments are currently available in our area.

He is encouraged by the increased availability but said the hunters are not quite ready.

“For any person who says they found and received their vaccine because of the group, there is someone who has just joined the group and is desperate to help themselves or someone else in the same situation,” DeMay said.

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