State to open COVID-19 vaccines to all residents 16 and older April 19
Pennsylvania expects to meet the April 19 federal deadline to make all residents 16 and older eligible to register for a COVID-19 vaccine, the state Health Department said Wednesday.
Acting Health Secretary Alison Beam also said more people from the state鈥檚 1B eligibility list, including police, firefighters and grocery store workers, were to be immediately able to schedule an appointment for a vaccine.
鈥淲e are making progress,鈥� Beam said Wednesday during a virtual briefing on the state鈥檚 response to the virus.
The state will move April 12 into the 1C eligibility list, which includes members of the media and elected officials.
State Rep. Tim O鈥橬eal, R-South Strabane Township, said Washington County will meet the challenge to make vaccination clinics available within five miles of all residents, as was promised Monday by President Joe Biden.
O鈥橬eal, a member of the state鈥檚 Vaccine Task Force, said the existing vaccine providers will spread the clinics out as more vaccine doses are supplied to the state.
The providers include Centerville Clinics, Washington Health System, Mon Valley Hospital, Cornerstone Care and Canonsburg Hospital.
鈥淚 think we鈥檝e done a ton of improvements,鈥� O鈥橬eal said Wednesday. 鈥淚鈥檓 honored to be part of the solution.鈥�
Another major challenge in the vaccine effort involves convincing some people that they are safe and a vital piece of efforts to contain COVID-19, Beam said.
Washington County Commission Chairwoman Diana Irey Vaughan said about 20% of the residents of senior high rises in the county didn鈥檛 want a vaccine.
The county also offered a half-day off to its employees if they showed proof of a vaccination as an incentive to get the shots, Irey Vaughan said.
鈥淚t鈥檚 working,鈥� she said.
The increase in vaccines comes at a time when new cases of the virus and related hospitalizations continued to rise in Pennsylvania and many other states.
Allegheny County Health Director Dr. Debra Bogen reported a new surge in cases Wednesday, averaging about 400 a day, numbers that were similar to mid-January.
Bogen said many people have recently been ignoring mask-wearing and social-distancing orders. One spike linked to a large party for young children unrelated to their school resulted in the closing of an elementary school, Bogen said.
Pennsylvania announced 4,557 new cases of the virus Wednesday, taking the statewide total since March 2020 to 1,024,857.
The virus has killed 25,093 Pennsylvanians after 44 new deaths were reported, including two in Fayette County and one in Washington County.
Washington County reported 84 new cases, taking its cumulative total to 15,114. Fayette added 42 new cases to its total of 11,216. Greene鈥檚 case-count grew by 11 to 2,865.