Pennsylvania has been in Phase 2 of its vaccine rollout for weeks now, but while all residents in the commonwealth can now get a vaccine, some of Beaver County’s most vulnerable populations may still remain unprotected.
The state Department of Health’s April survey on COVID-19 vaccinations in skilled nursing facilities indicates that quite a few residents and staffers at area nursing homes were left unvaccinated last month after many staffers refused a vaccine, and, weeks later, may still be defenseless against the virus.
The survey followed the March completion of the Federal Pharmacy Partnership for Long-term Care Program (FPPLCP), which worked to get nursing home populations immunized by providing at least three vaccine clinics in all participating facilities, including those in Beaver County.
Craig F. Walker/The Boston Globe via Getty Images
Millions of vaccine doses have gone unused at long-term care facilities, according to a report from The New York Times.
Some have left nursing homes, and many have opted to not take the vaccine, leaving shots behind.
Several states are trying to claim unused doses to provide more to the rest of the population.
States are trying to seize stockpiles of COVID-19 vaccines allocated to nursing homes in an effort to get shots in more arms, the New York Times reported Friday.
States such as New York, Michigan, and Virginia are grabbing back at millions of vaccine doses given to long-term care facilities through a federal program, the Times said.
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How to get the COVID-19 vaccine and get tested, county by county in KC
January 15, 2021
[Update: There is now a state survey that you can sign up for.]
Missouri and Kansas have begun their COVID-19 vaccine rollout. Kansas is now in Phase 2 of their vaccine rollout, which includes people 65 and older, workers in congregate settings like homeless shelters and childcare centers, high critical workers, and any unvaccinated people from Phase 1. The first phase in Kansas is expected to be completed by the end of January, although Kansas is currently only receiving 45,000 doses per week from the federal government. This map allows people to see which vaccine sites have available doses and is updated on a weekly basis. Orange sites have not received more first doses from the federal government, but may have a reserve for second doses. Sites marked blue do have availability for first dose vaccinations.