COVID-19 Vaccine In Bucks County: Find Your Place In Line

BUCKS COUNTY, PA — With the rollout of a COVID-19 vaccine expected as early as January, the New York Times, the Surgo Foundation and Ariadne Labs have created a vaccine tool that calculates the number of people who will need a vaccine in each state and county, and where they fall in line.

For example, an average 40-year-old Bucks County resident with no COVID-related health risks would have to wait in line behind 268.7 million people across the United States, including 489,800 in Bucks County, according to the tool. By contrast, a 70-year-old retiree with health risks would only be behind about 44,000 residents in a county of roughly 628,000 people.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently made recommendations on who should be offered the vaccine in its initial rollout, with top priority given to groups such as health care workers, residents of long-term care facilities, essential workers, people with underlying medical conditions and older adults.

Gov. Wolf has said the health department has no plans to make the vaccine mandatory.

Vaccine Rollout

No matter what place in line you end up in, Pennsylvania has been preparing to deliver the COVID-19 vaccine for months.

Here in Pennsylvania, where a second wave of infections has seen daily positive cases escalate, officials say a vaccine could be available within the next month.

The New York Times vaccine tracker says 13 vaccines are in large-scale efficacy tests and seven have already been approved for limited use. Pfizer and Moderna are closest to completion.

Pennsylvania's department of health said it will roll out the vaccine in three phases, as recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The first phase will focus on health care workers, first responders, critical workers, people over age 65 and residents who live in congregate care settings.

Phase two will prioritize critical populations who have not already been vaccinated before beginning to vaccinate the general population.

In phase three, once a sufficient supply of vaccines is available, the state will focus on vaccinating the entire population of Pennsylvania. The department of health said it does not intend to make vaccinations mandatory.

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