State Rep. Jennifer O’Mara, (D-165) and other state representatives have introduced a bill that would create a vaccine registration and notification database. O’Mara, who represents Morton as well as parts of Springfield, Marple and Radnor, introduced the Vaccine Registry Act with Reps. Ryan Bizzarro, Pam Snyder, and Austin Davis.
According to a Delco.today report written by David Bjorkgren, under the Act, the Pennsylvania Department of Health would create and maintain a statewide database of eligible people willing to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.
“The restrictions of a Commonwealth do not permit us to create a statewide database of available appointments so Pennsylvanians must navigate a complicated process of trying to find a local provider who has vaccines and appointments for administration available,” the initiative stated in a letter to House members.
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The letter said that the advantages of this legislation include will reduce hours of searching for appointments and would permit prioritizing of vaccine distribution to the most vulnerable.
The registration database would improve the vaccination process allowing people to schedule vaccine appointments for themselves, spouses, significant others and their families.
To facilitate the process
Additionally, the database would indicate registrants how far they would travel to receive the vaccine. Concerning vaccine providers, they could also register with the database to receive vaccines for distribution and would prioritize patients who schedule appointments through the database.
“This is a great solution to simplify the vaccination process for seniors and for all Pennsylvanians who are trying to get vaccinated,” O’Mara said. “The bottom line is, every delay in effectively and efficiently distributing this vaccine, is another day this pandemic will continue. Hope is here and in the hands of our health care workers.”