Chester County Hospital Continues Vaccinating, Shares Supply

CHESTER COUNTY, PA — Seventy percent of Chester County Hospital's workers have received doses of a COVID-19 vaccine, amid limited supply and high demand.

Chester County Hospital told Patch it has administered close to 11,000 doses of Covid 19 vaccine — including both Moderna and Pfizer. The hospital reported 70 percent of its workforce has been inoculated.

The hospital is sharing its supply among other healthcare and emergency workers. More than 44 percent of vaccine doses allocated to Chester County Hospital (CCH) have been used to vaccinate non-CCH affiliated personnel in the 1A category from across Chester and Delaware counties, including physicians, dentists, behavioral health practitioners, EMS providers, first responders, and health care volunteers, according to Colleen Leonard Leyden, Director of Public Relations for Chester County Hospital.

"We are especially proud of our intentional efforts reaching out to 1A vaccine candidates from within underrepresented communities with historically low vaccination rates," said Karen L. Pinsky, M.D., Chief Medical Officer at Chester County Hospital. "Addressing vaccine hesitancy in our community is essential for us to return to normal life without masks and social distancing."

Pinsky said more than 50,000 qualified residents have applied to receive vaccines at Chester County Hospital.

"Due to the unpredictability of receiving adequate doses of vaccine, it has been difficult for CCH to single-handedly accommodate the overwhelming demand and unfortunately we cannot guarantee that we will have enough vaccine for all who have submitted names to our list,” Pinsky explained.

She added, "So we encourage residents to apply to other vaccine providers throughout the County and not just one. CCH is committed to distributing all the vaccine we receive in a timely and equitable manner to all who are eligible."

Chester County Hospital held a Covid Vaccination Education and Engagement Program on Martin Luther King Day in conjunction with St. Paul’s Baptist Church in West Chester. Ten members of the church’s 1A Phase for vaccination received the Covid-19 vaccine. Lisa Croft, D.O.; Shafinaz Akhter, M.D.; Karen Pinsky, M.D. and Dr. Rolanda Johnson from CCH attended.