Pa. goal: Everyone eligible for vaccine May 1

Pennsylvania is working to ensure that everyone will be eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine as soon as May 1, the state’s acting health secretary said during a Thursday morning news conference.

Acting Health Secretary Alison Beam said the state wants to have scheduling systems and infrastructure in place so everyone can get in line for shots starting May 1. However, she added, a shortage of vaccines should still be expected come May.

“Eligibility does not mean that vaccines will be immediately available, it will take time to get shots in the arms of everyone who wants a vaccine,” Beam said.

As of Wednesday, more than 3.8 million doses of vaccine have been administered in the state, and an estimated 2.5 million state residents have received at least one dose of the vaccine, Beam said.

Those in phase 1A are eligible, including residents of long-term care facilities, health care workers, people 65 and older and older than 16 with conditions that put them at high risk. Teachers, education workers and child care workers are being targeted for vaccination with the singleshot Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

During the conference, Beam shared more information about the state’s distribution plans of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine once educators and child care workers are vaccinated. Last week, Gov. Tom Wolf announced a plan to use a portion of those vaccines in targeted clinics for specific groups, including law enforcement officers, grocery workers, corrections officers, career and volunteer firefighters, and meat processing and agriculture workers.

At the end of the month, the state expects to get higher allocations of Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine from the federal government, Beam said. When that time comes, the state will target certain essential workers, as Wolf previously said, but also will provide the Johnson & Johnson vaccine at regional mass vaccination sites, where any eligible person can get the shot.