All Pa. residents should be eligible for COVID-19 vaccinations by April 19 March 31, 2021
3:15 pm
Acting Health Secretary Alison Beam announces that all Pennsylvanians will be eligible for COVID-19 vaccines by April 19.
By April 19, all Pennsylvanians regardless of age, occupation or health will be eligible to receive vaccinations against COVID-19.
The State Department of Health announced Wednesday that it was accelerating the vaccination timetable for those in Phases 1B, 1C and 2, but will still be targeting workers in certain industries for vaccines.
“The vaccine landscape continues to evolve as the federal government is increasing allocations to more retail pharmacy chains across the country,” Acting Health Secretary Alison Beam said. “To ensure that vaccine continues to get to people efficiently and equitably, Pennsylvania is adapting its plan to allow workers in targeted industries to access any of the three vaccines available at providers throughout the state
Pennsylvania will soon open the vaccine floodgates.
By April 19, all Pennsylvanian adults ages 16 and older will be eligible to be vaccinated against the virus that has been a scourge on society for more than a year, the Department of Health announced Wednesday.
Eligible today are law enforcement officers, firefighters, grocery store workers, and food and agriculture workers an estimated 190,000 to 250,000 people, health officials said.
The entire 1B group, including other first responders and manufacturing workers, will be eligible on April 5. And a week later on April 12 will be those eligible in 1C, which includes housing construction workers, bank tellers and members of the media.
State officials on Wednesday expanded eligibility for COVID-19 vaccinations to certain front-line workers and set dates in April for opening eligibility to all remaining categories of Pennsylvania residents 16 and older.
Firefighters, law enforcement officers, grocery store workers, and food and agricultural workers, previously listed in the stateâs Phase 1B vaccine rollout category, can now schedule appointments for vaccinations, Acting Health Secretary Alison Beam announced at a virtual press conference.
People in Phase 1B and 1C categories will be able to schedule appointments starting April 5 and April 12, respectively, and as of April 19, all Pennsylvania residents will be eligible to schedule their vaccinations.
Here are some of those questions and answers, edited for length.
Q: Do you expect another backlog for vaccination appointments, and what are you telling providers to plan for regarding a surge in calls?
A: No. The state is now able to tell providers the minimum amount of vaccine they will regularly receive, week after week, so they can schedule appointments into the future based on that information. Previously, that predictability didnât exist.
Q: How and why has the stateâs vaccine allocation strategy changed?
A: Because the federal government is activating more retail pharmacy providers and increasing allocations to them, state officials realized that a focus on regional mass vaccine clinics was not the most prudent use of resources. So, instead, the state will allocate more vaccine directly to counties in ways that local and county
Louis B. Ruediger | Tribune-Review
Sean Finan, 48, of Aspinwall receives a covid-19 vaccine shot at the UPMC Outpatient Center facility in Harmar vaccine clinic March 29.
Courtesy of Jason Walker
John and Audrey Wagner of Hampton receive their first dose of covid-19 vaccine March 29 during a clinic by UPMC St. Margaret Harmar Outpatient Center.
Louis B. Ruediger | Tribune-Review
Louis B. Ruediger | Tribune-Review
Lori Gaydosh gives instructions to a patient at the UPMC Outpatient Center in Harmar at a vaccine clinic March 29. Gaydosh is also a semi-retired Surgical Physicians Assistant at Three Rivers Orthopedic.
Louis B. Ruediger | Tribune-Review
Patricia Hipp, 29, of Brackenridge waits in an observation room after receiving her covid-19 vaccine shot March 29 at the UPMC Outpatient Center in Harmar. Patients are required to sit 15 minutes after receiving the shot for safety precautions.