A Community-Based Volunteer Service to Reduce Inequity in Covid-19 Vaccine Distribution in New York City

Throughout early 2021, COVID-19 vaccine appointments became available to select groups of eligible people in a phased vaccine distribution program across New York. Few vaccination sites were established initially, and available appointments were limited. Eligible individuals were able to schedule appointments only by calling phone hotlines or by registering on designated websites. This appointment-based, technology integrated vaccine delivery plan erected complex barriers to acquiring vaccination for many otherwise eligible members of the population. Senior citizens, non-English speakers, undocumented NYC residents, and those without access to phones or internet were at a disadvantage when it came to acquiring these scarce vaccine appointments. These technological and language barriers to appointment scheduling contributed to vaccination inequity across the city.In an effort to increase access to vaccines and to mitigate inequality in distribution, a group of community volunteers established a grassroots effort to assist these disadvantaged New Yorkers in obtaining their COVID-19 vaccines. In the 9-week period of volunteer services, from February to April 2021 (when vaccine eligibility became more widespread), 2101 people requested assistance in scheduling COVID-19 vaccine appointments. Vaccinations were successfully scheduled for 1935 (92%) individuals while 166 (8%) requests were either duplicates or the individual was not eligible based on criteria at the time of requests. Our group was so successful in assisting those in need of vaccine appointments due to a conscious effort to cater to individual needs. Volunteers spoke multiple languages (primarily Spanish, English, and Chinese). Our group advertised to reach all types, from speaking on local news outlets, to creating a social media presence, to hanging paper flyers in apartment buildings.The flexible, individualized approach that a community-based, grassroots group can provide is a necessary supplement to broader population-focused vaccine distribution programs on order to truly reach all members of a population.