NEWS

Some Pennsylvania providers won't be getting their promised first-dose vaccine this week

Daveen Rae Kurutz
Beaver County Times

Not all vaccine shipments are arriving as promised this week. 

A handful of pharmacies across the state aren't receiving the doses they were promised. Pennsylvania Department of Health officials wouldn't detail which pharmacies and providers are affected, but said that this is an unfortunate but normal part of the distribution process. 

"In our effort to keep vaccine providers well informed, the department routinely notifies providers when adjustments are made to the first-dose vaccine allocations due to the extremely limited amount of vaccine allotted to Pennsylvania each week," said Maggi Barton, deputy press secretary for the state Department of Health. "The amount of vaccine allotted each week to vaccine providers in Pennsylvania remains extremely limited to spread among hundreds of local vaccine providers."

For instance, last week the department received requests for 705,000 doses of vaccine but were only able to distribute 166,375 first doses. 

According to lists posted on the Department of Health website, 114 hospitals, doctors' offices and independent pharmacies were slated to receive vaccine doses this week, in addition to 120 Topco pharmacies, which include Giant Eagle and Weis Market pharmacies, and 268 Rite Aid pharmacies, which participate in the Retail Pharmacy Partnership.

Lindsey Mauldin, senior advisor for the department, said Tuesday that 175,175 first doses were expected to be shipped out this week. 

The delay in first doses doesn't jeopardize anyone's second doses, Barton said. 

"What is most important for (people) to know is that second doses are secure. They should keep their second dose appointment where they received their first dose," Barton said. "The department has taken appropriate steps to ensure that even if a vaccine provider does not receive new first-dose vaccine in any given week, they will receive the vaccine they need to provide second doses to people who already received their first dose."

Providers automatically receive their second dose vaccines in a shipment 21 to 28 days after the first doses were administered, Barton said. Maudlin wouldn't detail how the department is able to guarantee those doses, but Barton said providers and recipients should not be concerned.

"Vaccine provider should not worry about second doses and they should not hold back any of the first doses of vaccine they have received," she said. 

Barton said Pennsylvanians need to be patient as vaccine is distributed. To reach all of the Pennsylvanians who are in phase 1A — everyone 65 and older, front-line health workers and those 16 to 64 with medical conditions — it will take at least 8 million doses of vaccine. To date, the state has received just more than 2.4 million. 

"We encourage people to have patience," Barton said. "Right now there is not enough vaccine to meet the demand in Pennsylvania, or any other state"

Daveen Rae Kurutz is a staff writer for the Beaver County Times. You can reach her quickly at dkurutz@timesonline.com. GIve her a follow on Twitter @DK_NewsData