People 75 and older in Allegheny County will have to wait longer to get their dish vaccine as provincial officials are waiting for federal government guidance.
“We have received many calls and emails from individuals who want to know when it is their turn to be vaccinated, and how they will know,” Allegheny County CEO Rich Fitzgerald said Wednesday. “I wish we could answer that. There is a lot of information that is still unknown. ”
State and provincial officials have gained little insight from federal agencies, according to them, which could delay the vaccination process.
The state’s vaccine panel shows that about 30,000 vaccines have been distributed in Allegheny County, but health director, dr. Debra Bogen, said it was a “significant underestimation.”
The country as a whole has received about 115,000 doses since mid-December, and most are distributed through the province’s health systems, she said.
The health department alone administered 2,266 vaccines and plans to distribute the rest of the first award by Wednesday, Bogen said. The Department of Health plans to extend the hours of the Monroeville vaccine site and has already requested a new allocation of doses from the federal government.
None of these figures include the distribution of vaccines at long-term care facilities, handled by a federal partnership with CVS and Walgreens. According to Bogen, 42 long-term care facilities in the country have received vaccines, but the number of vaccines given by the program has not been shared at provincial level.
“I know people are still frustrated with a very slow process,” Bogen said. “There is a lot of information we do not know and aspects of distribution, such as the granting of vaccine to Pennsylvania by the federal government, are not in our control.”
The state is notified each week of how many doses they will receive from the federal government, and then in turn assigned doses to each country. As more vaccine providers come on board, Bogen said, the fewer doses each will receive until the state gets more or increases vaccine production.
The province has received an average of about 23,000 doses per week over the past five weeks, she said.
Still focus on health workers
Bogen said the province is still in the process of vaccinating people in Phase 1A of the disease control and prevention centers, including health workers and residents and staff of long-term care facilities. While some states have already started Phase 1B – which includes people over 75 and grocery store workers – officials said Allegheny County is likely to spend more time on 1A because of the number of health workers in the region.
“Our region in particular has more than the average number of people who will fall into 1A because we have so many health workers in our country,” Fitzgerald said. “We ask for your patience.”
Fitzgerald added that the amount of vaccinations awarded to each country each week varies, which also increases the time it takes to go through the phases.
Bogen acknowledges the lack of information for many frontline workers and members of the general population regarding the distribution of vaccines. She expressed the sentiments of the Pennsylvania Department of Health, Dr. Rachel Levine, repeat.
“Knowing when more pike will come down will be very helpful,” Bogen said.
When it’s 75-year-olds’ turn
When the province moves to Phase 1B, Bogen has asked providers to prioritize residents 75 years and older, along with those 65 and older who have chronic health risks. When the supply of vaccines increases, doses will be available at community pharmacies, at mass vaccinations and vaccinations.
“It’s all planned, but the timing depends on the availability of vaccines, so we do not yet have a perfect timeline for you,” Bogen said.
There are still many reports in the country of vaccine providers administering doses to people outside the first priority group. Bogen asked providers to respond to the health department if they have additional doses and do not know how to access more people in 1A.
Fitzgerald has urged residents of the province to sign up for Allegheny Alerts, with a new enrollment option focusing specifically on vaccine information.
Meanwhile, Bogen said she is still concerned about an increase in serious cases, deaths and hospitalizations after the holidays. The province reported 74 new deaths on Wednesday, 73 of which occurred in December, Bogen said, due to backlogs in the state’s electronic death reporting system.
December was the country’s deadliest month of the pandemic, with a total of 509 deaths.
Teghan Simonton is an author of the staff of Tribune-Review. You can contact Teghan at 724-226-4680, [email protected] or via Twitter .
Categories:
Allegheny | Coronavirus | Local