Montco Calls For Transparency From State On Vaccine Inequities

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, PA — Lawmakers in Montgomery County and around southeastern Pennsylvania are hoping for some clarity from the state this week on how and why the region has been shortchanged on vaccine doses.

A meeting between the Pennsylvania Department of Health and a delegation of state legislators from the area had been scheduled for Thursday, but was delayed. Acting Secretary of Health Alison Beam said Thursday that the meeting had been postponed in order to make sure the state's analysis of the problem could be as "robust as possible," but no further details were provided.

"I want increased transparency from the Department of Health," Montgomery County Commissioner Val Arkoosh said on Wednesday, adding that "none of us understand what the allocation algorithm is for southeastern Pennsylvania counties."

According to a recent analysis by the Philadelphia Inquirer, Montgomery County has received just 17,667 doses of vaccine per 100,000 residents. This places the county 20th in the state, even though it has the second highest population after Philadelphia. Several other local highly populated counties, like Bucks, Delaware, and Chester, have similar differences.

RELATED: Montco Area Being Shortchanged By State On Vaccine, Lawmakers Say

Arkoosh added that the southeastern part of the state represents a crucial part of the state's economy, and that vaccinating the area should be a priority.

"We need to get the southeast back (open), as an entity, in order to get our economic region back on track," Arkoosh said.

Arkoosh and State Sen. Marie Collett both praised the state's decision this week to vaccinate teachers with the new Johnson & Johnson doses. But they added that it should not distract from the larger structural issue impacting the region.

"This is an important step, but I want to be very clear that I am still focused on addressing the ongoing problems with allocations to our region, disorganized processes and getting our seniors and the rest of the people in 1A vaccinated as quickly and equitably as possible," Collett said.

Arkoosh is hopeful that if the state is able to provide more clarity on why they haven't received a larger allocation of doses, they'll be able to better advocate for a larger supply.

"I do not understand why..." she said. "We are ready to give more, we should be getting more."