Fed up over the chaotic rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine, one East Bay doctor decided to take matters into her own hands.
The last straw for Dr. Rebecca Parish, who runs a private practice in Walnut Creek, came when one patient called her up in tears after trying unsuccessfully to sign up for the vaccine through a local pharmacy.
"(The patient was) not able to navigate the internet, not able to reach anyone in the store,” Parish told KCBS Radio.
Her response was to draw together local community groups to create a drive-through vaccine clinic.
It took place this weekend in the parking lot of a middle school in Lafayette, and was open to anyone 75 and older. In total, Parish secured 500 doses that were all spoken for as of Saturday, through a simple first come first serve sign-up.
"Oh yes, and (we have) a significant waitlist," the doctor noted.
With the pandemic still spreading, Parish said she plans to continue holding these clinics, as long as she can get more doses to distribute.
"With the rate of morbidity and mortality that we’re currently observing in the U.S., holding back vaccine doses seems to me to be unconscionable," she added.
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