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Pa. Department of Health provides COVID-19 vaccine update

HARRISBURG — Officials with the Pennsylvania Department of Health provided an update to the COVID-19 vaccination program, saying the state is working as fast as it can to get the vaccine into the arms of those who are eligible for it.

However, the demand far outweighs the supply, Department of Health senior adviser Lindsey Mauldin said in a news conference on Tuesday.

“Vaccine providers are working as quickly as possible to provide us with the needed doses,” she said. “We know that Pennsylvanians are ready for the vaccine, and we are working to get access to the vaccine for everyone eligible.”

As for ways the state plans to bolster the supply and increase vaccinations, Mauldin says some of the help is coming directly from the Biden administration.

“They will be sending vaccine directly to their retail pharmacy partners starting next week in Pennsylvania,” she said. “We have to wait and see how many doses will be directly sent to Topco and Rite Aid locations, but this will hopefully mean in the near future we can start we can start to send other vaccines to more eligible Pennsylvanians.”

Despite the shortage, more than 1 million doses have been administered, she said.

According to a news release, 634,458 Pennsylvanians have received one dose of the vaccine and 216,361 Pennsylvanians have received two doses, for a total of 1,067,180 doses administered to 850,819 people.

“We are working diligently to be as efficient and equitable in this process as we can,” Mauldin said.

She said the department is working on logistics for new community-based vaccination sites, and is working with the state’s pharmacy partners in order to get the vaccine to those who are eligible.

Maudlin addressed the challenges this vaccination program faces, including logistical challenges and the limited supply of vaccines coming into the state.

Late last year, Health Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine predicted the general public could be vaccinated by early spring or late summer at the latest. But after today’s update, that prediction could be wishful thinking.

Maudlin steered clear of providing a timeline on when Pennsylvania’s general population could be vaccinated, and if we’re on track for late summer.

“That’s something we’ll strive for at the department,” she said. “We have to make sure that we’re doing it in an equitable manner to ensure that some of our most vulnerable people and communities have access to this vaccine.”

Maudlin stressed several times that one of the biggest challenges for the health department is to create public education and awareness surrounding the vaccine, and to make sure people have accessibility to the vaccination.

“As we look ahead to the future, we are focused right now getting through Phase 1a, and that is where we are currently looking,” she said.

She also addressed the confusion some residents are seeing with signing up for vaccine locations. Some say they have been given state instructions only to find out that their appointments have been canceled. She said that the state does not have a way of helping residents sign up for appointments. That is a task for the specific county department in which the resident lives.