The state wants leaders to choose a site for the clinic. Officials in Bucks, Chester, Delaware and Montgomery counties said a regional clinic would compromise the equitable distribution of vaccines.
“Instead of collaborating with local elected officials and county health departments closest to the people we serve, the state chose to take the advice of a logistics company in Boston to establish regional sites because our local sites Mass vaccinations are underused. We have a highly qualified audience of health and safety teams in place, high volume secure locations and more than 500,000 people waiting on our collective lists to get the photos. We just need more supply, “reads part of the statement.
The four counties in southeastern Pennsylvania want the state to allocate the surplus supply of the Johnson & Johnson one-shot vaccine to the counties directly.
For weeks, leaders in counties in southeastern Pennsylvania have called the state, saying it did not receive the appropriate allocation based on the size of their population.
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The state has previously called these “false allegations” and blamed the data, saying it was incorrect, because some factors had not been taken into account.
State Representative Frank Farry, a Republican representing parts of Bucks County, is one of the lawmakers who disagrees with the state’s unique plan.
He even introduced a bill that would require the state to distribute the vaccine according to population size.
“Our counties have already installed the infrastructure. They already have regional sites already equipped. They have a portal that people have signed up for. Now, I guess, will you have people sign up for another portal?” said Farry in his Middletown Township office.
During a press conference on Thursday, Acting Secretary Alison Beam said the counties will also have their own sites.
Beam applauded providers, including health care systems and retail pharmacies, also administering the vaccine as part of a federal program in which the vaccine is delivered directly to them and registered by the state.
According to a statement from the State Department of Health:
“An analysis of CDC data on the number of vaccines given per 100,000 population in the last week (as of March 17) places Pennsylvania second in the country, behind only New Mexico. More than 3.9 million doses of vaccine have been administered statewide; more vaccine administered than 44 other states. Over 1.3 million people (are) completely vaccinated. “
Late Thursday, a state working group was set up to manage the distribution of vaccines. Sources say the governor’s office could offer a compromise that would include at least one additional mass vaccination site for southeastern Pennsylvania.
All state sites will be run by PEMA and the National Guard.
Read the full joint statement on behalf of Southeast Pennsylvania counties:
We are extremely disappointed to hear that PA DoH is not considering our request to allocate the Johnson and Johnson vaccine directly to Bucks, Chester, Delaware and Montgomery counties. We have reiterated our concern about the establishment of a regional PEMA site for several reasons and remain deeply concerned that fair distribution will be compromised at such a site.
“Instead of working with local elected officials and county health departments closest to the people we serve, the state chose to take the advice of a Boston logistics company to establish regional sites because our local sites Mass vaccinations are underused. safety and health teams in place, high-volume secure locations and over 500,000 people waiting on our collective lists to get photos. We just need more offers.
“The opening of a separate state-run vaccination site raises many important questions that our residents deserve to know the answers to, such as they must first register on another list to receive the vaccine at these new regional vaccination sites. or whether the seats in line will be retained. We also have questions about how the state will ensure equitable access to these regional sites, including telephone registration and language access options. These questions remain unanswered. The last thing we want is to see our voters sign up for another list when they have been waiting for weeks.
“We are also concerned that without a one-shot allocation of Johnson and Johnson vaccines, our efforts to effectively vaccinate our most vulnerable residents will be thwarted. It also includes residents facing homeless people, people at home and people in correctional facilities.
“For all these reasons, we are urging Pennsylvania DoH to allocate the surplus supply of Johnson and Johnson vaccine with a single injection to the counties directly.
“Recognizing that the decision will be made by Pennsylvania DoH and to meet its requirement that the four counties provide two sites acceptable to all counties, Bucks County and Montgomery County will identify a common site, and Chester County and Delaware County will Hoping that Pennsylvania DoH will continue to consider our request to allow the four counties to distribute the vaccine, each county also identifies an additional site that it is prepared to run, which could distribute the vaccine quota. ”
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