Esta ampliación de las vacunas de refuerzo contra el virus COVID-19 para todos los adultos, permitirá a millones de estadounidenses obtener protección adicional contra el virus en medio de un reciente aumento de las infecciones.

La directora de los Centros para el Control y la Prevención de Enfermedades, Rochelle Walensky, firmó la ampliación de la elegibilidad el viernes por la noche, luego que la Administración de Alimentos y Medicamentos de EE.UU. ampliara su autorización de las dosis de refuerzo a todos los adultos que hubieran recibido su segunda inyección de la vacuna de Pfizer (PFE.N)/BioNTech o de Moderna Inc (MRNA.O) al menos seis meses antes.

Por su parte Alison Beam aseguró el suministro seguro de las vacunas en el estado. “Los proveedores de vacunas de toda Pensilvania tienen suministros de las vacunas seguras y eficaces para administrar las vacunas de refuerzo”.

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De acuerdo a un comunicado de prensa oficial, estos proveedores incluyen pediatras, médicos de atención primaria, médicos de familia, farmacias, centros de salud calificados por el gobierno federal y tiendas de comestibles.

Los residentes que necesiten encontrar un proveedor de vacunas pueden visitar: www.vaccines.gov

Así mismo, la Secretaria de Salud mostró su complacencia por la receptividad de los residentes a los llamados para recibir la inmunización. “Estoy impresionada por las decenas de miles de habitantes de Pensilvania que se acercan cada día a recibir su primera, segunda o tercera dosis de la vacuna para protegerse a sí mismos, a sus seres queridos y a sus vecinos contra el COVID-19”.

Proceso de revisión

La ampliación del rango de elegibilidad se produce tras un proceso de revisión en profundidad por parte de la Administración de Alimentos y Medicamentos de EE.UU. (FDA) y los Centros para el Control y la Prevención de Enfermedades (CDC).

El experto en enfermedades infecciosas del país, Dr. Anthony Fauci, afirmó que la vacuna de refuerzo junto al incremento de la vacunación general, deberían ayudar al país a superar lo peor de la pandemia en los próximos meses.

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Potassium iodide tablets, or KI, help protect the thyroid gland against harmful radioactive iodine and can be taken by anyone, if they are not allergic to it. It is safe for pregnant women and those who are breastfeeding, people on thyroid medication, children and infants. Individuals who are unsure if they should take potassium iodide should ask a health care provider first.

“Emergency preparedness is an important aspect of public health and having potassium iodide tablets for residents who live or work within 10 miles of a nuclear facility is an essential preparedness action in the case of a radiological emergency,” Acting Secretary of Health Alison Beam said.

According to MyChesco, Beam warned that KI should be taken only under state instructions and added that it is not an alternative to evacuation. “It’s important to remember potassium iodide should only be taken when instructed to do so by state health officials or the governor, and it is not a substitute for evacuation in the case of a radiological emergency at one of Pennsylvania’s nuclear facilities.”

The state’s five nuclear facilities are closely regulated, secure and well-maintained. The facilities are: Beaver Valley Power Station; Limerick Generating Station; Peach Bottom Atomic Power Station; Susquehanna Steam Electric Station; and the recently closed Three Mile Island Generating Station.

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The tablets are available to all Pennsylvanians who live or work within 10 miles of the state’s four active nuclear power plants by visiting a distribution center or calling the Department of Health at 1-877-PA-HEALTH.

Residents can also visit a county and municipal health department or state health center. KI tablets are not required for people living and working within 10 miles of the Three Mile Island Generating Station, which closed in September 2019.

Locations to get KI

The potassium iodide tablets will be provided on Thursday, Sept. 9 and 16 at the following locations:

• Beaver Valley Power Station: Sept. 16 from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. Beaver Valley Mall. Center at the Mall, 570 Beaver Valley Mall Blvd. Monaca, PA, 15061
• Limerick Generating Station: Sept. 9 from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m.Keystone Steam Fire Company, 240 North Walnut St. Boyertown, PA, 19512
• Peach Bottom Atomic Power Station: Sept. 9. Peach Bottom Recreation Center, 5 Pendyrus St. Delta, PA, 17314.1 p.m. to 6 p.m. East Drumore Township Municipal Building, 925 Robert Fulton Hwy., Quarryville, PA, 17566.2 p.m. to 7 p.m.
• Susquehanna Steam Electric Station: Sept. 9 from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. Luzerne County Community College: Public Safety Center, 1333 South Prospect St. Nanticoke, PA, 18634. Butler Township Community Center (Gym), 411 West Butler Drive, Drums, PA 18222. Salvation Army Community Corps Building, 320 W. 2nd St. Berwick, PA. 18603.

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As reported by thecentersquare.com, the proposed regulation comes more than 20 years after the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services said four hours was “the minimum” level of care needed to prevent bed sores, malnutrition, dehydration and other ailments common in nursing homes.

“It not only aligns with best practices and existing research, but it prioritizes residents’ well-being,” acting Secretary of Health Alison Beam said. “This is an especially necessary approach after the tumultuous and trying year and a half of the COVID-19 pandemic.”

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Beam said just 18% of the state’s 692 licensed skilled nursing homes offer this level of care. An additional 134 provide between 3.5 hours and 4 hours of care, and 334 provide between 3 hours and 3.5 hours.

During a news conference Wednesday, Beam said the revision means an important impulse for improving resident´s life quality. “Revising nursing home regulations is one piece of the administration’s ongoing effort to improve care for residents and working conditions for staff in nursing homes.”

Improving living conditions

In addition, Beam said the proposal is only the first of five forthcoming regulations designed to improve working and living conditions in the state’s nursing homes. She is expecting the regulatory process would conclude next year.

“For many years, residents and long-term care ombudsmen have recognized and reported what more than 100 national studies and reports have shown, that the current minimum staffing requirement in Pennsylvania falls short of meeting the needs for quality of care and quality of life,” said Department of Aging Secretary Robert Torres.

“As Pennsylvania’s senior population continues to increase, these overdue updates will help ensure that skilled nursing facilities provide residents with high-quality care now and in the future.”

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Según datos divulgados por 6ABC la instrucción ya fue girada. La locución del mandato hace vibrar la fibra emocional de todos. Los que todavía sobreviven y la de aquellos que perdieron a un ser querido. El mandato de mascarilla se levantará a partir de las 12:01 a.m. Ocurrirá el 28 de junio, anunció el viernes el Departamento de Salud.

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Alison Beam, secretaria interina de Salud, fue la portadora de los noticias que emitió a través de un comunicado. “Seguimos avanzando para detener la propagación del COVID-19 en todo el estado. Muchos habitantes de Pensilvania han asumido la responsabilidad de su propia salud y la salud de sus comunidades al vacunarse”. Ese comportamiento cívico es el que da pie para levantar la orden.

Pensilvania se quitará la máscara

Pensilvania levantó todas las demás restricciones de la COVID-19 el Día de la Recordación. A principios de mayo, el departamento de salud de Pensilvania siguió las orientaciones de los CDC.  Suavizaron las órdenes de uso de mascarillas para las personas totalmente vacunadas. Se permitió dejar de usarlas al aire libre y en la mayoría de los ambientes interiores. Sin embargo Pensilvania se quitará la máscara de manera definitiva el 28 de junio.

Filadelfia, que siguió sus propias órdenes, levantó sus restricciones finales de COVID. Incluyó la obligación de llevar mascarilla en interiores, el 11 de junio.

El Departamento de Salud sigue instando a los habitantes de Pensilvania a que sigan las orientaciones de los CDC sobre el uso de mascarillas. Deberán hacerlo cuando así lo exijan las leyes, las normas y los reglamentos. Incluye a las orientaciones sobre atención sanitaria, empresas locales y lugares de trabajo.

La exigencia privada se mantiene

La Secretaria interina de Salud dijo que la opción de exigir máscara a empleados, invitados o clientes está intacta. “Aunque la orden de enmascaramiento universal se levantará en unos días, algunos mantiene sus derechos. Entre otros las empresas, organizaciones, proveedores de atención médica y otras entidades mantienen la opción de exigir a los empleados. Podrán exigir a invitados o clientes que usen una máscara, independientemente de su estado de vacunación”, dijo Beam.

Pensilvania se quitará la máscara mientras los CDC también exigen a las personas que lleven una mascarilla en los aviones. La solicitan incluso en autobuses, trenes y otros medios de transporte público que viajen hacia, dentro o fuera de EEUU. Es una solicitud pertinente en los centros de transporte estadounidenses, como aeropuertos y estaciones.

Se invita a vacunarse

El departamento de salud sigue animando a las personas que aún no se han vacunado o están parcialmente vacunadas a que lleven una mascarilla cuando estén en público para protegerse a sí mismos y a los demás.

“A medida que pasamos a usar máscaras con menos frecuencia, es importante seguir resistiendo en la lucha contra el COVID-19. Debemos seguir la acción que hemos hecho juntos durante el último año y medio”. Así dijo la doctora Denise Johnson, médico general en funciones.

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“Las vacunas contra el COVID-19 son las mejores herramientas que tenemos para derrotar al COVID-19. Los habitantes de Pensilvania son conscientes de ello y se han vacunado. Si aún no se ha vacunado, hay muchas opciones disponibles cerca de usted. Conseguir que el mayor número posible de habitantes de Pensilvania se vacune ofrecerá más protección contra el virus para todos. Es la forma más rápida y segura de volver a nuestras actividades normales.”

Los CDC dicen que el 74,9% de los habitantes de Pensilvania mayores de 18 años han recibido su primera dosis. Mientras que el 59,4% están totalmente vacunados. La orden de enmascaramiento universal se emitió originalmente el 15 de abril de 2020. Ahora Pensilvania se quitará la máscara como una señal de tranquilidad.

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“After reviewing the vaccination data for people 18 and over and discussing it with the COVID-19 Vaccine Legislative Task Force, we have determined that the commonwealth’s mask order can be lifted on June 28 or when 70 percent of adults get their second dose, whichever comes first,” Beam said. “Pennsylvanians are realizing that they have the power to stop COVID-19 and they are stepping up to get vaccinated.”

According to the Pennsylvania Government website, the Health Acting Secretary expressed her confidence on the vaccination process. “Yesterday we hit a milestone with 70 percent of adults receiving at least one dose of vaccine. That’s a strong indicator that we are on track to get at least that many getting both doses by the end of June.”

“The Department of Health will continue to make getting a vaccine as convenient as possible by making it widely available and supporting equitable and effective efforts to reach every Pennsylvanian who wants it.”

CDC mask order

However, once the statewide mask order is lifted, Pennsylvania will continue to follow the CDC guidance for wearing a mask where required by law, rule, and regulations, including local business and workplace guidance.

The CDC requires individuals to wear a mask on planes, buses, trains, and other forms of public transportation traveling into, within, or out of the United States, and in U.S. transportation hubs, such as airports and stations. Additionally, all individuals should still follow guidance at workplaces, local businesses, long-term care facilities, hospitals, prisons and homeless shelters.

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To date, 52.7 percent of the 18 and older population are fully vaccinated. According to the CDC, 97.7 percent of Pennsylvanians over 65 have received at least one dose of vaccine.

All Pennsylvania residents age 12 and older are eligible to schedule a COVID-19 vaccine. People can find vaccination locations near them using Vaccines.gov, also known as Vaccine Finder.

Individuals also can text their zip code to GETVAX (438829) for English, or VACUNA (822862) for Spanish and receive three possible vaccination sites in their area.

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More than 25,000 people have been vaccinated at the site, but a growing number of appointments are available. Some people are worried after the Johnson & Johnson vaccine was put on pause this week because of reported blood clot issues in six women.

According to Wgal, Wolf and Beam discussed vaccine hesitancy in the wake of the pause in administering the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, which is also known as the Janssen vaccine, due to rare blood clots in six women, including one from Pennsylvania.

“Too early to say that, statistically, the Johnson & Johnson pause is causing any increase in hesitancy, but hesitancy was an issue that we’ve been looking at right from day one. It was covered by the fact that the supply wasn’t up to demand,“ Wolf said.

You can read: A Pennsylvania woman is part of the cases affected by J&J vaccine blood clots

“We’re not seeing an uptick in waste. The appointment availability does give us cause for concern because that’s indicative of the hesitancy,” Beam said.

In an effort to avoid vaccine hesitancy, the state is working on a public relations campaign of digital, print and social media advertising starting this month to encourage residents to get immunized as soon as possible.

Acting Physician General Dr. Denise Johnson recognizes vaccine hesitancy, saying the messenger is just as important as the message from the state.

Someone who speaks their language

“Some people want to hear the message from someone who looks like them. Someone wants to hear the message from someone who speaks their language,” Johnson said. “So our outreach is going to be very broad and cover all of those areas.”

According to data aggregated Thursday by the New York Times, Pennsylvania ranks 10th nationally with 41% of the population receiving at least one shot and 25th nationally with 24% fully vaccinated. Some experts believe between 70% and 90% of the population need to acquire resistance to achieve herd immunity.

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Those newly eligible to get a COVID-19 vaccine are:

• Sanitation workers
• Maintenance and janitorial staff
• Utility workers
• Postal and package delivery workers

The Health Department has demanded vaccine providers, including pharmacies, to allow these prioritized groups to set appointments.

Other groups prioritized in Phase 1C, including those in higher education, public-facing finance roles, transportation ( airport and train workers, and taxi and rideshare workers), construction, telecommunications and IT, the press, the legal industry, and public health workers will be made eligible later this month.

Phase 1C is starting four weeks after the city entered Phase 1B. On March 10, healthy Philadelphians ages 65 to 74 years old became eligible for the coronavirus vaccination.

According to NBC Philadelphia, residents in the expanded age group should register on the official vaccine interest form to be added to the vaccination queue. After registering, they will receive notification from the city in the coming days or weeks when it is time to schedule their first vaccination appointment.

 You can read: Seventh mass vaccination site to be opened in Northeast Philadelphia

There are now over 220 locations, including pharmacies, hospitals and the FEMA mass vaccination site at the Pennsylvania Convention Center where vaccine doses are now available.

Vaccination accelerated

 Phase 1C expanded availability comes after Pennsylvania officials said the state would open its eligibility to all residents ages 16 and older, starting Monday, April 19.

Acting Health Secretary Alison Beam said the new timeline is possible because the state’s rate of vaccinations has accelerated. “The vaccine landscape continues to evolve as the federal government is increasing allocations to more retail pharmacy chains across the country,” Beam said in a statement.

“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,” Beam added.

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“While we continue to work with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as part of this investigation, the cause of these serious Salmonella cases has been linked to small pet turtles,” Beam said. “The majority of the cases have occurred in children living in the southeastern part of the state This is concerning, as Salmonella can be particularly serious for children,” stated the Secretary of Health.

Eight of the cases have affected Philadelphia or Delaware residents. Seven of the cases have impacted children, ranging between 0 to 10 years old. One adult death has occurred in which salmonellosis was one of the contributing factors.

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Salmonellosis is a serious gastrointestinal tract infection. Symptoms include diarrhea, fever, headache, nausea and vomiting. In addition, salmonellosis can cause severe illness as bloodstream infection, bone and joint infection and meningitis.

The disease can be particularly serious for young children, the elderly, and persons with weak immune systems.

DOH recommends that families with those at higher risk of invasive disease should avoid keeping turtles as pets.

Avoid pet turtles

The DOH news release informed that healthy turtles, are known to carry Salmonella and intermittently shed the bacteria in their feces throughout their lifespan. Humans can become infected with Salmonella through direct contact with turtles, turtle habitats, and through indirect contact by cross contamination of objects and surfaces.

Of the four people who reported the species of turtle in their home, all four reported small red-eared sliders. Of the four people who reported where they obtained their turtle, all four obtained their turtles from transient street or roadside vendors. Three of the reported vendors were located in Philadelphia.

Health officials said that anyone who has purchased a small pet turtle and became ill should contact their health care provider, their local health department or the Department of Health at 1-877-PA-HEALTH (1-877-724-3258).

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El caso de Philly Fighting COVID que abochornó a la ciudad de Filadelfia fue uno de los detonantes. Las autoridades de salud del estado desean trabajar con los que han demostrado ser más eficientes en la distribución.

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Según la nota de Ryan Briggs de WYHH Philadelphia hay muchas razones para esta decisión. La medida se produce en el marco de un endurecimiento más amplio de las normas y reglamentos. Todo lo relativo a la distribución de vacunas está bajo estricta vigilancia.

Pensilvania reducirá 70%

Alison Beam, secretaria de Salud de Pensilvania en funciones, dijo que a partir de la semana que viene un menor número de proveedores de salud recibirán las vacunas COVID-19. Pasarán de más de mil a sólo doscientos o trescientos proveedores de salud. Eso significa que Pensilvania reducirá 70% de sus distribuidores.

“Estamos dando prioridad a los proveedores más eficaces”, dijo Beam. “Esta es la forma más eficiente de vacunar a la gente rápidamente”.

Muchos de los proveedores restantes que seguirán recibiendo la vacuna son grandes redes de hospitales o farmacias establecidas. Recientemente, Filadelfia se ganó el desprecio por facilitar la distribución de la vacuna a través de grupos desconocidos con poca experiencia médica. Con precisión se hace referencia a la desacreditada organización sin ánimo de lucro Philly Fighting COVID.

Elevan las exigencias

Otra de las razones por las que las autoridades de salud quieren trabajar solo con los mejores es debido a que se incrementó el nivel de exigencia. Pensilvania reducirá 70% de sus proveedores porque solo pocos pueden con las nuevas directrices.

Entre ellas se incluye el requisito de que al menos el 80% de las dosis recibidas se administren en el plazo de una semana. “A los que no cumplan se les reducirá la asignación de vacunas”, dijo Beam.

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Asimismo Beam dijo que el estado también requerirá celeridad en la entrega de datos sobre los vacunados. Requieren toda la información demográfica de los pacientes. Estas deben ser reportadas al estado en 24 horas para ayudar a mejorar la estrategia de distribución. La directriz tiene como finalidad asegurar que las comunidades de color estén recibiendo suficientes vacunas.

El estado también requerirá que los proveedores comiencen a aceptar reservas tanto en línea como por teléfono para cualquier persona en la Fase 1ª. Se trata de los pacientes de mayor prioridad. Para ellos se ha hecho un espacio de reservas que comenzará a partir del 19 de febrero. Beam indicó que algunos pacientes de mayor edad y menos conocedores de la tecnología habían tenido problemas con los sistemas de reserva sólo por Internet.

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