Coronavirus: Vaccine Tourism

I previously wrote about how one doctor was approached with a $25,000 donation/bribe in Los Angeles to get a vaccination ahead of others. The donation / bribe was denied. In that blog post, I highlighted the fact that the wealthy with access to exclusive healthcare groups would be able to get the vaccine ahead of others. Those individuals were likely in the top 1% income group. It looks like those in the upper-middle class and up are finding a different type of loop hole that will get them access to the vaccine ahead of others. 

Bloomberg (Jan 21) reports on this:

Frustrated by crashing appointment websites, shortages of Covid-19 shots and a patchwork of confusing eligibility rules, people with time and money are heading out of town in pursuit of a potentially life-saving inoculation.

Vaccine-seeking tourists are showing up in Miami, at beach resorts in Hawaii, ski towns in Colorado and in New York City, which has received more doses than other parts of the state, as well as nearby New Jersey and Connecticut.

There is no national data, yet states that keep track suggest that tens of thousands of Americans are traveling for the vaccine. More than 37,000 out-of-staters have received Covid-19 shots in Florida, according to state data as of Tuesday. The figure excludes people who have second residences or businesses in Florida, where about 1 million have been vaccinated.

The article mentions the ethical concerns around these individuals taking potential vaccination doses from individuals who actually live in Florida, Hawaii, etc. 

But another way to look at this is:

1. Are certain states getting too many doses? Like why exactly are people heading off beach and ski towns in Hawaii and Colorado? 

2. Why are certain states just way more effective at vaccinating their population? The first paragraph that I quote mentions how people are frustrated by eligibility rules and website crashes. It would be interesting to read a follow-up article about which states the 37,000 out-of-staters are coming from in Florida. 

A good bet would be that a significant number of them are coming from California.