| For a time this fall, North Dakota distilled the distinctly American problem of navigating personal liberty during a pandemic. The state grappled with the highest per capita rate of Covid-19 cases in the world, but its leaders long resisted a stay-at-home order or mask mandate, anointing personal responsibility as the key to safety. When it comes to vaccines, the picture could not be more different. Week after week, North Dakota reports distributing more than 90 percent of its doses, even as millions of vials sit unused in other states. The strategy? Think small. Since 1963, the state has had a unique law that requires pharmacists to own pharmacies, ensuring most remain independent and competitive, even in rural places where the population is shrinking. Those stores are now at the core of North Dakota's vaccine rollout. That includes places like Hankinson Drug in Richland County, which first opened its doors in 1897. Each time the pharmacy receives a batch of vaccines, it has one week to use them. If it doesn't, the state won't send them the next batch. The task of reaching out to people on a tight deadline might be difficult in a city, but in a town of about 900 people, the store hasn't had many problems. It's easier to put shots in arms when you know the customers. There are some obstacles to distributing vaccines this way. Going small requires a unique supply chain and a high degree of planning to make sure it doesn't fall into chaos. But so far, it's working.
Read the full story of North Dakota's vaccine success story here. Gregory Barber | Staff Writer, WIRED | 
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