Local doctors seek bigger role in providing coronavirus vaccinations

The Biden administration sees local doctors as key to the next phase of vaccine distribution, after many family physicians complained they've been left out despite being among the most trusted voices for vaccine-hesitant people.

Ada Stewart, president of the American Academy of Family Physicians, likened efforts to get local doctors more access to vaccines to a student with a raised hand who is saying, “Call on me. Call on me.” 

“We are one of the most trusted folks when it comes to vaccines, and when we talk about vaccine hesitancy ... people want to go to that trusted resource, and usually that is their primary care physician,” she added.

The vaccination effort is now entering a more difficult phase, as the most eager have already been vaccinated, and the challenge is reaching people who are more hesitant. Polling shows getting the vaccine from someone’s personal doctor can help break through concerns about getting vaccinated.

But a survey this month from the Primary Care Collaborative found that just 38 percent of primary care doctors are currently administering the COVID-19 vaccine.

A Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) poll in March found that 50 percent of people who want to “wait and see” before getting the vaccine said they would be more likely to get it if it was offered during a routine medical visit at a place they normally go for health care.

Among people open to getting vaccinated, 75 percent of adults said they would be very likely to get the shot if it were available at their own doctor’s office, according to a February poll from the KFF. That was the top response, compared with 61 percent for a local pharmacy and 44 percent for a mass vaccination site.

As the White House looks to get less eager people vaccinated, it says it will be stepping up efforts to get primary care doctors involved.

“We do strongly believe that primary care docs are going to have to play a significant role in the vaccination efforts,” Bechara Choucair, the White House vaccinations coordinator, told The Hill. “A lot of them are already playing a significant role, and we want to make sure that more and more of the primary care docs are playing a significant role in this vaccination effort, particularly as we come into this next phase of our vaccination plan.”  ...