Commissioners push for more vaccines
WEST CHESTER » As part of a Friday statement, the Chester County commissioners, announced that the county “like the rest of Pennsylvania, will soon be receiving the level of vaccine necessary to accelerate the pace of inoculations.”
Suburban Philadelphia county leaders had complained that Southeastern Pennsylvania was receiving less COVID-19 vaccine per capita as many other counties in the state.
Chester County Commissioners Marian Moskowitz, Josh Maxwell and Michelle Kichline said they are “eager to get our lives back closer to normal,” while they praised federal and state efforts to push out the vaccine quicker.
“While the pace of vaccinations has picked up statewide, we still have not felt the effects in Chester County, and we know our residents are rightfully frustrated,” wrote the commissioners. “Our vaccine supply has been limited when compared with the capabilities of our Health Department to set up clinics and schedule vaccines across the whole of the county.
“We have not been given the two to three-week advance notice of vaccine availability as the governor stated in his news conference, and as such have only scheduled appointments on a week-by-week basis to match our supply.
“This keeps us from having to cancel and reschedule appointments if we do not receive the vaccine from the state to honor those appointments.”
Gov. Tom Wolf said in a Friday release that through the efforts of the COVID-19
Vaccine Task Force, the Commonwealth is making significant headway in getting more people vaccinated.
“The special initiative the task force agreed on last week to vaccinate educators, school staff, and early childhood educators is well underway, and we are making incredible progress vaccinating Pennsylvanians eligible in Phase 1A,” Wolf said. “These new initiatives will move us even further in the state’s vaccinate rollout.
“Last night, President Joe Biden laid out a bold plan for our country with a goal of making every American adult eligible to receive a vaccine by May 1. My administration is taking aggressive steps to meet that timeline, and we are fortunate to have the leadership and partnership of President Biden and his administration as we work to protect the people of Pennsylvania.”
The release from the commissioners also reads that the county can “certainly” open up appointments by March 28, per the governor’s plan, with many questions that require answers, and quickly, if the county is able to accurately schedule appointments for everyone in Phase 1A by that date.
“To begin with, we need to hear from the state how many vaccines we can schedule for beginning March 22,” reads the release. “We believe the state’s plan to use the Johnson & Johnson vaccine for frontline and essential workers, just as they are now doing for teachers, is a positive move forward.
“The commissioners are pleased to hear of the governor’s plans to establish regional vaccine clinics, and await details on where those sites will be located, and how, with our investment in sites and staffing, we can support those clinics in Chester County.
“If the state does, in fact, send us greater supply, we are definitely prepared to open additional sites where Chester County residents can get vaccinated.”
The numbers, according to the county:
Over the past week, Chester County, in total, received 10,050 vaccine doses. Of that number, 9,140 were sent to the Chester County Health Department. This is made up of 6,800 Moderna first and second doses and 2,340 Pfizer first doses.
We continue to administer the COVID-19 vaccine to individuals in Phase 1A and currently to those in 1A who registered with the Chester County Health Department on or before Jan. 17.
In total, 49,297 people have received a first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, and 43,315 people have received second doses by all vaccine providers in Chester County, including hospitals and pharmacies, according to the state Department of Health.
Commissioners: “Of the total number above, 25,007 people have received first doses of the vaccine from the Chester County Health Department, and 15,167 people have received their second dose from the Chester County Health Department.
“We have contracted with venues, and invested in staffing and mobile units to vaccinate upwards of 25,000 people a week with just two weeks’ notice, and 33,000 people a week with four weeks’ notice. We still need to be told what quantity of vaccine we will receive, and when, to know how many clinics to open and staff, and how many appointments to schedule for those clinics.”