Can Pa. meet Biden directive to open COVID vaccines to all adults by May 1? Officials think so

Gov. Tom Wolf embraced a directive Friday from President Joe Biden to make the coronavirus vaccine available to all adults by May 1, but seven weeks out from the deadline and amid continuing supply changes, it's unclear what the change could mean for Pennsylvanians seeking to get their shots. 

"My administration is taking aggressive steps to meet that timeline," Wolf said, starting with efforts to complete phase 1A of the vaccination prioritization list — which currently includes health care workers, long-term care facility residents, people 65 and older, and those with underlying health conditions.

Wolf wants all appointments for patients in phase 1A to be scheduled by March 28, a goal that could be accomplished with the installment of more regional vaccine clinics, he said. 

More:COVID vaccine in Pa.: All residents in Phase 1A will get appointments by end of March

In a prime time speech Thursday, Biden said he has told states to make everyone 18 and older eligible to receive vaccine doses by May 1, with the goal of allowing Americans to safely gather by the Fourth of July holiday. 

That means changes will have to be made to Pennsylvania's plan. Among them, Wolf said, are plans to use the next shipment of the one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine to supply regional vaccine sites to inoculate police officers, firefighters, grocery workers, meat processing plant workers, and agricultural workers.

Last week, the state announced similar efforts to inoculate educators, school staff, and early childhood educators is well underway.

Pennsylvania struggled early on with a vaccine rollout that was among the slowest in the nation, and it has shifted strategies multiple times in recent months in an effort to get shots into people's arms faster. As of Friday, providers had administered about 3 million doses, and more than 17% of Pennsylvania had received at least one dose. 

Changes being made to Pa.'s vaccine plan

Pennsylvania's COVID-19 task force announced the following changes to the commonwealth's vaccination plan Friday.

• Scheduling vaccine appointments for those in Phase 1A who are still seeking a vaccination. To date nearly 1 million Pennsylvanians age 65 and older have received a first dose of vaccine. The number of Phase 1A eligible Pennsylvanians with a first dose now tops 3 million. More than 72,000 Pennsylvanians are being vaccinated every day.
• Establishing Regional Vaccination Clinics using a portion of the weekly allocation of Johnson & Johnson vaccine doses after the completion of the special initiative to vaccinate teachers, school staff and child care workers. This will be made available to regions and counties throughout the commonwealth.
• Targeting front-line workers and first responders using a portion of J&J doses. Targeted industries include law enforcement/correctional staff, grocery workers, firefighters (both career and volunteer), meat processing and agriculture workers.

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