Pa. eclipses 1 million cases
Wolf: Officials ‘doing the best we possibly can’ in vaccine strategy
As Pennsylvania surpassed the 1 million mark in COVID-19 cases Thursday, Gov. Tom Wolf touted the state’s overall vaccination rollout while acknowledging more must be done to get shots to frustrated senior citizens.
Mr. Wolf noted the state has moved up in national rankings, to 17th in the percentage of residents who have gotten at least one shot after lagging in the bottom half. And his health secretary announced steps designed to match providers with agencies that serve the elderly to get all the remaining people in Phase 1a scheduled for a shot by the end of the month.
Also on Thursday, Allegheny County announced it was dropping the age limit for people who qualify for shots in 1a at countyrun sites.
Mr. Wolf’s comments came a day after the Legislature passed a bill that ordered the Health Department to retool how it distributes vaccines amid complaints about the pace and fairness of the process.
At his news briefing, Mr. Wolf again defended the state’s rollout, including its ability to get shots into the arms of the people in the most vulnerable 65-and-older population, and reiterated that the federal vaccine supply is the state’s biggest limiting factor.
Pennsylvania ranks above average in percentage of residents with first doses and is on par with the national average in terms of overall vaccinations given.
He acknowledged criticism that his administration hasn’t moved quickly enough to make it available to older adults.
“If I’m one of those seniors who haven’t been vaccinated, it’s absolutely fair,” he said Thursday after touring a health center in Scranton.
“The question is given the constraints we operate under, the supply that’s not up to demand, the fact we have logistical challenges, could we have done a better job? I don’t think so,” Mr. Wolf said. “I think we’re doing the best we possibly can.”
He also indicated the state might move straight to opening eligibility to all adults by May 1, as President Joe Biden directed, and skip over phases 1B and 1C, which include different tiers of essential workers.
Asked when the state would move to 1B, the governor said Mr. Biden’s plan “sort of throws out the whole 1A, 1B, 1C thing.”
The health department on Thursday ordered providers to work with agencies that serve older adults to help clear the backlog of people 65 and older waiting for COVID-19 shots.
The state has accelerated its overall rollout after a series of early stumbles, but only 35% of older people are fully vaccinated against the coronavirus, ranking Pennsylvania near the bottom nationally.
“We continue to hear from seniors and those with certain medical conditions who are eligible to be vaccinated ... that they are still struggling to sign up,” said the acting health secretary, Alison Beam.
Ms. Beam ordered vaccine providers to collaborate with the area agencies on aging — a network of 52 agencies that serve all 67 counties — as well as Medicaid managed care organizations to schedule appointments for people who want them but haven’t able to get them.
Additionally, providers may not refuse to schedule an appointment for someone who is currently eligible to receive the vaccine, nor are they allowed to advertise that no appointments are available, Ms. Beam’s order said.
The state reported that vaccine providers had administered 4,614,946 total vaccine doses as of Wednesday.
Of those, 1,624,654 people are fully vaccinated, with a seven-day moving average of more than 85,000 people per day receiving vaccinations, according to the state.
The state reported 3,623 new cases of COVID- 19 Thursday, bringing the total to 1,000,240 since the pandemic was first reported here a year ago.
There were 41 new deaths, bringing the state closer to another milestone, 25,000; the toll now stands at 24,917. The state reported there are 1,717 people currently hospitalized with the disease.
In Allegheny County, 283 new cases of COVID-19 were reported Thursday, but no new deaths. The new cases bring the total number of cases to date to 83,225 and 1,750 deaths.
The county health department on Thursday expanded its eligibility requirements for vaccinations. In doing so, people between the ages of 16 and 64 who have certain Phase 1A health conditions are now eligible, the county said.
The change takes effect immediately, the county said.
The health problems listed include cancer, chronic kidney disease, lung disease (such as COPD), Down syndrome, pregnancy, diabetes, sickle cell disease, and some heart conditions with the exception of high blood pressure. For the Pfizer vaccine, applicants must be at least 16 years old, and 18 years old for the Moderna vaccine.
Online registration for the county’s four vaccination sites — Castle Shannon VFD Banquet Hall, Central Baptist Church, Petersen Events Center, and the Ross Community Center gymnasium — will close at 9 a.m. Friday and telephone registrations at 5 p.m. The county is preparing to switch to a new registration system next week, which will be operated by the county health department. The new system will allow people to preregister for the shots and offer one-time use links to private clinics where the shots are also offered.
The system will also screen applicants for vaccine eligibility, eliminating the need to cancel appointments if someone who is ineligible shows up for an appointment.