PA Vaccine Updates: Increased Shipments, New Timelines

PENNSYLVANIA — There was good news over the past week on the COVID-19 vaccination front in Pennsylvania, as the state received increased shipments, opened new clinics, and vaccinated thousands.

Even with the increases, shortage of supply remains an issue, and controversy remains over the Department of Health's handling of numerous aspects of the rollout in the southeast.

Thus far, the state has partially vaccinated 2,614,522 people, and fully vaccinated 1,428,876, as of Friday afternoon. That's a total of 4,043,398, or just over a third of the state's population.

Here are the latest updates from across Pennsylvania.

School employee vaccinations ahead of schedule

Nearly 84,000 teachers and school employees in Pennsylvania have received their Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccination as of Friday, officials said, putting the state ahead of schedule in its plan to immunize all school staff by the end of the month. MORE.

State updates timeline

Officials in Pennsylvania signed an updated order this week which sets a new deadline of March 31 for when all of the 1A phase must be scheduled for vaccinations. The end of March, now just fourteen days away, should be a turning point in Pennsylvania's immunization efforts. That marks when the state expects to complete school employee vaccinations, meaning it can turn the Johnson & Johnson doses to some of 1B. MORE.

Counties say 1A could still take 4-5 months, at current rate

Counties are noting that they're enthusiastic to support the new state timelines, but that stating the goal doesn't change the reality that they still haven't received enough doses. One of the state's most populous counties, Montgomery, says that vaccinating all of the remaining individuals in Montgomery County's 1A category could take four to five more months. MORE.

Dose shipments increasing; 1A goal clarity

The state received another increase in vaccine shipments this week, with 25,000 more first doses and 16,000 more second doses received this week than last week. They're optimistic this will help them meet the aggressive timelines announced over the past week.

As for 1A, the end of March deadline is when appointments will be scheduled by, officials said.

"Some of those appointments may go past March, but (we're) getting those appointments scheduled just so we can be we're working with providers to get folks in the door," Senior Health Advisor Lindsey Mauldin said. MORE.

Side effects lead to closures

Side effects — which are a good sign, meaning that the vaccine is working — have led to some school districts in Montgomery County closing this week, as teachers have called out sick. Common short term side effects include fever, headache, and chills. MORE.

Bucks County notes record number of administrations

With a new location open and an improved supply of vaccine, Bucks County's public COVID-19 vaccination clinics gave a record number of shots on Tuesday and Wednesday. MORE.

Southeastern counties spar again with state over vaccine clinic

Leaders in Montgomery, Bucks, Delaware, and Chester counties are concerned that creating a single regional site would mean that most people would have to drive some distance to the site, complicating a situation which has already left tens of thousands frustrated and impatient.

Southeastern leaders "presented an alternative to a single facility" to Acting Secretary of Health Alison Beam on Wednesday — a proposal to distribute doses directly to county sites which are in need of more vaccine anyway — but Beam does not appear to be considering their alternative plan.

In a further joint statement Friday, the counties accused the state of trusting the Boston consulting firm they're working with on the vaccine rollout more than the state's actual health departments. MORE.

Some vaccination metrics improving in PA

Beam touted CDC statistics on Thursday that showed that Pennsylvania was second in the state in administration of doses per 100,000 residents over the past week. The state trailed only New Mexico in that category in the period from March 11 to March 17.

Pennsylvania has also improved its efficiency rating, or the percentage of the doses it's received which it has actually administered. MORE.

Age limit lowered in Allegheny County

Allegheny County is expanding the number of people eligible for its coronavirus vaccination sites. Beginning Friday, the county health department will add people aged 50 to 64 who meet Phase 1A medical conditions. MORE.

New clinics opening

More vaccine sites opened this week or were announced in several locations, including Neshaminy Mall in Bucks County, three sites (Ross, Oakland, and Hill District) in Allegheny County, Willow Grove in Montgomery County, and elsewhere.

"High-performing" vaccine providers are the focus

The state announced a month ago that they would focus vaccine allocations to the highest performing providers statewide. This involved cutting the overall number of providers from around 1,700 to around 200 or 300. This process seems to be largely complete.

The state published an updated map this week that shows where these providers are at, in a more user-friendly format. It was part of an effort to increase transparency. MORE.

For full information about getting a coronavirus vaccine in Pennsylvania, visit Patch's information hub.