The state wants leaders to choose a place for the clinic. Officials in Bucks, Chester, Delaware and Montgomery counties said a regional clinic would compromise the equitable distribution of vaccines.
“Instead of working with local elected officials and county health departments closest to the people we care for, the state has opted to receive advice from a Boston logistics company to establish regional locations as the our local mass vaccination sites are underused.We have a highly qualified audience.established safety and health equipment, high volume insured sites and over 500,000 people waiting on our collective lists to get their chances.We just need more supply “, read part of the statement.
The four counties in southeastern Pennsylvania want the state to allocate its supply of the Johnson & Johnson single vaccine supply to the counties directly.
For weeks, leaders in southeastern Pennsylvania counties have called on the state saying that, depending on the size of its population, they have not received the proper allocation.
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Earlier, the state called these “false accusations” and blamed the data saying they were inaccurate as some factors were not taken into account.
State Representative Frank Farry, a Republican representing parts of Bucks County, is one of the vocal lawmakers who disagrees with the state’s single plan.
He even introduced a bill that would require the state to distribute the vaccine based on population size.
“Our counties already have the infrastructure set up. They already have regional sites already endowed. They have a registered portal for people. Now, I guess, will you have people signing up for another portal?” said Farry in his Middletown township district office.
During a press conference Thursday, acting secretary Alison Beam said counties would also have their own seats.
Beam applauded providers, including health care systems and retail pharmacies, who also administered the vaccine as part of a federal program where the vaccine is sent to them directly and registered by the state.
According to a press release from the State Department of Health:
“An analysis of CDC data on the number of vaccines administered per 100,000 population over the past week (as of March 17) places Pennsylvania in second place in the country just behind New Mexico. More were administered. of 3.9 million doses of vaccine across the state, more vaccines were administered than 44 more states. More than 1.3 million people (are) completely vaccinated. “
On Thursday afternoon, a state working group set up to manage the distribution of vaccines met. Sources say the governor’s office may offer a compromise that will include at least one additional mass vaccination site in southeastern Pennsylvania.
All state posts will be headed by PEMA and the National Guard.
Read the full joint statement on behalf of the counties of southeastern Pennsylvania:
We are extremely disappointed to learn that PA DoH is not considering our request to assign the Johnson and Johnson vaccine directly to Bucks, Chester, Delaware and Montgomery counties. We have reiterated our concerns about the establishment of a regional PEMA site for many reasons and we are deeply concerned that equitable distribution is compromised in this site.
“Instead of working with local elected officials and county health departments closest to the people we serve, the state has opted to receive advice from a Boston logistics company to establish regional locations, as our local mass vaccination sites are underused.We have a highly qualified audience.safety and health equipment in place, high volume insured sites and over 500,000 people waiting on our collective lists to get their opportunities. more supply.
“Opening an independent state vaccination site raises many important questions that our residents deserve to know the answers to, such as whether they will have to pre-register on another list to receive the vaccine at these new regional vaccination sites or the sites will remain We also have questions about how the state will ensure equitable access to these regional sites, including telephone registration and language access options.There are questions left to answer.The last thing we want is for our components to have sign up for another list when they have been waiting for weeks.
“We are also concerned that without a Johnson and Johnson vaccine allocation, our efforts to efficiently vaccinate our most vulnerable residents will be hampered. This includes residents living homeless, people at home and people in our facilities. Correctional corrections.
“For all of these reasons, we implore Pennsylvania DoH to allocate its surplus supply of the Johnson and Johnson single vaccine to counties directly.
“Recognizing that the decision will be made by Pennsylvania DoH and in order to meet its requirement that the four counties provide two acceptable sites for all counties, Bucks County and Montgomery County will identify a joint location and Chester County. and Delaware County will do so to identify a joint site.With the hope that the Pennsylvania Department of Medicine and Medicine will further consider our request to allow the four counties to distribute the vaccine, each county will also identify an additional site that is ready to run and to be able to distribute its share of the vaccine. ”
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