Pennsylvania touts progress vaccinating seniors.
by PublicSource reporters
Starting Friday, March 19, The Allegheny County Health Department [ACHD] will begin vaccinating individuals ages 50 to 64 against COVID-19, so long as they have conditions outlined in the state’s Phase 1a guideline, such as obesity and cancer.
Only about 10% of the vaccines allocated in the county are administered by ACHD, the rest handled by providers like hospitals. To make the best use of its limited supply of vaccine doses, ACHD has only been vaccinating individuals 65 and older, who have disproportionately died and been hospitalized due to the virus.
However, because ACHD expects about 50% of residents 65 and older in the county to have received at least one vaccine dose by the week’s end, the department has decided to widen its eligible age range, according to ACHD Director Dr. Debra Bogen.
ACHD will soon open three new vaccination centers, with an eye toward reaching diverse residents:
- Central Baptist Church in the Central Hill District, opening Monday, Mar. 22
- Ross Township Community Center, opening Wednesday, Mar. 24
- A temporary vaccination center at the Petersen Events Center in Oakland, which will administer about 1,000 vaccinations a day for two days this week and four days next week.
Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald looked back upon the rollout of the vaccines in the county, remarking upon the steady increase in the rate of vaccination. In the last two weeks of December, an approximate average of 2,800 vaccinations per day occurred in the county, then about 5,300 on average per day in January, roughly 5,700 in February and now almost 10,000 per day in the first weeks of March.
“I want to thank all of the partners out there who are continually working … our partners at UPMC, AHN, Heritage Valley and St. Clair [hospitals], doing great work, and obviously the county health department having a number of clinics,” Fitzgerald said.
Still, despite stable daily case counts and declining death and hospitalization rates, Bogen fears a potential spring surge.
Allegheny County Health Department Director Dr. Debra Bogen (courtesy of Allegheny County)
READ ENTIRE ARTICLE AT:
About Post Author
