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‘I feel safe now:’ Local woman travels out of state to get COVID-19 vaccine

By Michele Newell, WPXI-TV
By Michele Newell, WPXI-TV

PITTSBURGH — Getting a COVID-19 vaccine in Ohio is much easier than getting one in Pennsylvania. In fact, Pennsylvania is struggling to get out of the 1A category of vaccinations.

People age 40 and older will be eligible beginning Friday. Starting one week from Friday, people age 16 and up can start getting vaccinated in Ohio.

Republican Governor Mike DeWine is crossing the state, visiting vaccination sites, as the state continues to adjust its vaccinations.

Ohio’s success is drawing comparisons between that state and Pennsylvania.

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In Cuyahoga County, where Cleveland is located, a little more than 250,000 people have received their first COVID-19 vaccine dose and around 142,000 people are fully vaccinated.

The population size in that county isn’t much larger than Allegheny County, but our county remains in Phase 1A.

“More than 310,000 Allegheny County residents have received at least their first vaccine and by the end of this week, at least 50-percent of county residents who are 65 or older will have received at least one vaccine dose,” said Dr. Debra Bogen of the Allegheny County Health Department.

Wednesday, it was announced that the age for eligibility would drop in the county.

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    • Local health leaders are still stressing the risk of getting COVID-19.

    “Because about 2/3rd of adult results are not yet vaccinated, including about 50-percent of those 65 and older, many people in our community remain at risk,” Dr. Bogen said.

    “There was nothing, I kept getting turned down,” said Patricia Mays, who is a breast cancer survivor. “Everywhere in Ohio opened with an offer to give me my shot and nowhere in Pittsburgh. Nothing.”

    Woman travels across state lines to take advantage of COVID-19 vaccine doses in Ohio

    Mays, like so many others, struggled to find the COVID-19 vaccine in Pennsylvania so she traveled to Ohio where there are an abundance of appointments. She stayed in Ohio to get her first dose and drove back to get her second dose.

    Even though Ohio seems to be open to allowing Pennsylvania residents to cross state lines to get the vaccine, West Virginia continues to remain strict.

    Only residents can get the vaccine, but if you live in Pennsylvania and commute to West Virginia for work, you can get it there.

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