Government officials have for weeks blamed Pennsylvania’s slow COVID-19 vaccination on suppliers who withhold unnecessary doses to make sure people get second doses when needed.
In fact, they wholeheartedly encouraged providers not to withhold doses, ensuring that the second of the two required doses would be available if needed.
However, Acting Health Secretary Alison Beam announced on Wednesday that suppliers had been handing out the second doses of the Moderna vaccine as first doses since early January, describing it as a major mistake. More than 100,000 people could be affected, Beam said.
Because of the error, Beam said up to 60,000 people need to reschedule their appointments, and that up to 55,000 others may delay their first doses.
Although the apparent conflict in the guidelines has not been fully reconciled, Beam set out the details, while also saying that the state can adjust so that everyone gets their second dose within an acceptable time frame. There is no medical difference between the first and second doses, so the situation should not pose an immediate health hazard, she noted.
Beam refused to plead guilty, though she suggested the health department be at least partially responsible.
“What we’re working on is making sure our department, our communications, our transparency, our end of the bargain are improved,” Beam said.
According to Beam, the problem is only the Moderna vaccine, one of the two vaccines distributed so far, and the other the Pfizer vaccine.
She said the error began in early January, with the consequences “compounded every week.”
The state recently discovered the problem, she said, when the weekly request for second-dose Moderna was equal to the total supply received so far.
Beam also said the fault could be rectified with little or no damage. This can largely be achieved by rearranging the appointments for second doses of Moderna. While people usually receive their second dose within about 28 days, Beam said some may wait up to 42 days for their second dose, which will still fall under federal guidelines.
The Centers for Disease Control & Prevention said the second dose of Moderna is fully effective if given within 42 days after the first shot; there is limited research on its effectiveness over 42 days, the CDC said last week.
Beam said her department had found unused supplies in the state to fill the gap. She further expressed confidence that the federal government will provide doses within the required time frame. She said she expects the two sources to be able to get 30 to 60,000 people affected their second dose within the appropriate time frame.
She further promised that the department of health in collaboration with the vaccine providers will ensure that people are contacted and that their appointments are rescheduled. She said that appointments “or at most two weeks” should be moved from the original appointment to the next week.
In a tense briefing with news reporters, Bean did not explain how the situation is in line with the fact that her department has been telling service providers for weeks that they should not withhold the second dose and that they should take a second dose, from a separate stock, will insure when needed.
However, she said the situation was discussed with the new legislative task force put together to improve the vaccination of Pennsylvania, and this is in line with the response she set out. She said the task force, set up just last week, met three times to improve communication and address vaccine vaccination issues.
“All of us focus on the road ahead, and the solution also makes Pennsylvania directional forward,” Beam said.
Beams further calls the situation a strong reminder that there is currently not enough vaccine for everyone who is eligible to receive it. ‘
Pennsylvania has so far given about 1.7 million people vaccinations, including about half a million that needed the two doses to be fully protected.
This week it received 183,575 first doses, along with 143,275 second doses. The vaccine supply has increased, albeit slowly, with this week’s allocation by about 8,000 doses from last week, a government official said on Wednesday.
At a separate news conference Wednesday afternoon, Gov. Tom Wolf said his administration will work to ensure those who need the second dose will get it. He also said that there is no doubt that in the future there will be other ways in which the effect of the vaccine can be improved.
“We will look for ways and find ways to make the system work even better,” Wolf said.