After determining that 500,000 doses were double-counted, the Pennsylvania Department of Health had to revise its COVID-19 vaccination numbers. About 61% of Pennsylvania adults are fully vaccinated, according to updated figures released by the department.
According to phillyvoice.com, the updated numbers had been released Friday without an explanation and reflected a simultaneous increase of about 60,000 people who were being counted as fully vaccinated.
The duplicate shots stemmed from an effort to link first and second doses to individual residents, a health department spokesperson told the Associated Press. In the process, the health department was removing duplicate data from providers whose software did not include unique patient identifiers.
The revision of vaccination numbers also accounted for data that came from some patients who received their first and second vaccine doses from different providers.
Officials said the new figures better reflect the number of Pennsylvanians who have only received the first dose of a two-dose vaccine.
As of Friday, Pennsylvania had administered just under 11.3 million doses, down from the 11.8 million before the revisions were completed. The state counted 5.54 million people who were fully vaccinated, with a seven-day moving average of more than 12,400 people per day receiving vaccinations.
Fifth out of 50 states
According to these updated vaccination numbers, over 61% of Pennsylvania residents 18 and older are fully vaccinated. Pennsylvania ranked fifth out of 50 states in total doses administered as of last Thursday, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The health department’s revision did not include data from Philadelphia, which is its own vaccine jurisdiction.
You can read: State health officials promote COVID vaccines as Delta variant spreads
As of Monday, Philadelphia reported 736,014 residents are fully vaccinated, including about 59.3% of all adults. At least 907,814 residents have received at least one COVID-19 shot, or about 73.1% of adults in the city.
Stable vaccination numbers
COVID-19 transmission rates have stabilized in Philadelphia and across Pennsylvania in recent weeks, despite increases in cases associated with the highly infectious Delta variant in several states.
The department continues to urge Pennsylvanians to follow CDC guidance for wearing a mask where required by law, rule and regulations, including healthcare, local business and workplace guidance. For the protection of themselves and others, individuals who have not yet been vaccinated or are partially vaccinated, are still encouraged to wear a mask when in public.
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