The Pennsylvania Secretary of Health, Dr. Rachel Levine said Monday that the COVID-19 vaccination process has included more than 135,000 residents. However, she warns it will take time to vaccinate the entire population.
“Our vaccine allocation from the federal government does fluctuate from week to week as well as the delivery schedule all through operation warp speed. This does make planning challenging. We know it is hard to ask people to be patient, as we take on this unprecedented task,” Pennsylvania Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine said.
According to data provided by 6abc Action News, Pennsylvania health officials say 39,000 doses have been rolled out to state nursing homes.
Most nursing homes are getting their vaccination doses through the Federal Pharmacy Partnership with the help of CVS and Walgreens. Thousands of other doses have been administered through hospitals and health departments.
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Dr. Rachel Levine announced the overall vaccination progress Monday afternoon. “Our latest report today in Pennsylvania is that 135,044 Pennsylvanians have been vaccinated, in addition, CVS and Walgreens have completed vaccinations at 115 skilled nursing facilities,” said Levine.
Several months
The Health Secretary added that it will be several months before the wider population can expect to get the vaccine. She foresees an appointment style system to avoid long lines when the expanded rollout launches.
“There are many variables that will determine how fast the vaccination program goes. The biggest one is how much vaccine we get both from those manufacturers and then potentially the AstraZeneca vaccine, as well as Johnson & Johnson,” said Levine.
She says the state expects nearly 250,000 additional doses of the Moderna and Pfizer vaccine this week.