Supply problems with Pa. Moderna vaccine being fixed
Officials can’t pinpoint end of current phase, rollout of next one
HARRISBURG — While Pennsylvania on Tuesday appeared to be making progress on distribution problems of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine, Gov. Tom Wolf and his top health official could not say when the state would finish the current phase of the rollout and start the next one.
Wolf said there are more than 4.5 million people in the current phase, 1A. The state, he said, has received only about one-third of the doses needed from the federal government to give all those people the required two shots each.
“We have a ways to go,” Wolf said.
Meanwhile, acting Health Secretary Alison Beam described progress dealing with problems revealed last week, in which some providers used doses of the Moderna vaccine as first shots when they were intended to be the second, or booster, shots.
On Tuesday, she said everyone who got a first shot of Moderna would get a second
one within a safe time frame.
Phase 1A of Pennsylvania’s vaccine plan includes everyone ages 65 and older, younger people with serious health issues, health care workers and residents of long-term care facilities.
The next phase, 1B, includes first responders, food and manufacturing workers, postal workers and teachers. Beyond that, there is another phase — 1C — before the plan opens to the general public.
Beam said the state wants to be sure it has enough vaccine available from the federal government before moving to the next phase.
“The struggle of 1A, right now, is that demand is so incredibly high and we still have a tremendous amount of folks that technically could avail themselves of a vaccine — they are in 1A — but they can’t actually access it,” she said. “As of right now, we have a lot of folks still in 1A that we want to make sure can actually access a vaccine.”
But the flow of vaccine to the state is increasing.
Another Health Department official, Lindsey Mauldin, said Pennsylvania was allocated 225,890 first doses this week — the largest number yet and an increase of more than 42,000 doses from the previous week.
The second dose allocation this week is 180,610, an increase of about 40,000, she said.
National Guard proposal
Also Tuesday, the Senate advanced a measure that would allow the National Guard to become deeply involved in the rollout and administration of COVID-19 vaccines.
The National Guard bill, already approved by the house, was approved by a Senate committee Monday and moved through a full Senate vote Tuesday. The Senate could pass it Wednesday.
If approved, it goes to Wolf for his consideration.
A spokesperson for Wolf noted that his administration worked with Republican Rep. Timothy O’Neal of Washington County on changes to the bill.
The National Guard already is giving COVID-19 assistance in many long-term care facilities.
The vaccine rollout in the state has been criticized by lawmakers from both parties. On Tuesday, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data showed Pennsylvania ranked 6th among states with nearly 2.4 million doses administered, but 41st in doses administered per 100,000 people, with 18,599.
Morning Call Capitol correspondent Ford Turner can be reached at fturner@mcall.com.