Tow Wolf: Vaccinations are key to get back to normal

Governor Tom Wolf said vaccinations are the door to get back to normalcy while visiting Monday the Philadelphia Flyers organization at the Wells Fargo Center to discuss COVID-19 vaccine efforts in the state.

“It’s really important we get back to normal as quickly as we can, and vaccines are the key to that,” declared the Democratic governor. The statements came as the Flyers launched a comprehensive COVID-19 vaccine campaign, ‘Take Your Shot’, encouraging Pennsylvanians to get vaccinated.

Wolf is optimistic about an imminent level of immunity in Pennsylvania. “I don’t think anybody wants to drag their feet on this. We just want to be safe.”

According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Wells Fargo Center was the governor’s latest stop on a statewide tour in an effort to fight vaccine hesitancy. He has been persuading state residents that the vaccinations are safe and effective. As of Monday, half of all Pennsylvanians had received at least the first dose.

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“Let’s keep in mind, vaccines are free. You don’t need to pay for them, and you don’t need insurance for them. They’re widely available and they really do make a difference, not only for you but for your community,” Wolf said. “And that includes everyone who is a sports fan. It’ll be really nice to see people inside the stands.”

The governor said he would like to see more sports teams follow the Flyers’ lead in encouraging vaccinations.

To overcome hesitancy

“We’re looking for all kinds of ways to get people to overcome the hesitancy,” Wolf said. “And most of it is sort of (people) sitting on the fence, (where) there’s not a profound antipathy to vaccines.”

Wolf’s pushing on vaccinations came on the same day New Jersey announced it would ease pandemic crowd restrictions and reopen businesses at full capacity later this month in a regional agreement with New York and Connecticut, which will do the same by mid-May.

Philadelphia is set to have some restrictions on indoor catered events and indoor dining ease Friday, thanks to dropping case counts in the city.