70% of Pennsylvania adults are fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Now what?

The commonwealth has finally hit the benchmark of fully vaccinating 70% of the eligible adult population against COVID. But does that accomplishment mean anything anymore?

On Wednesday, Gov. Tom Wolf confirmed that the original target for vaccinations had finally been reached, with 13,135,136 COVID-19 vaccines administered across the state as of that day.

“Today, the commonwealth has reached a milestone in our fight against this deadly virus,” Wolf said. “Now, 70 percent of Pennsylvania’s adults have accepted their responsibility to stop the spread of COVID-19 and most importantly keep themselves and their loved ones safe. This milestone is critical to protect those not yet eligible for the vaccine, like our children under 12 years of age.”

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As of Friday, 13,296,208 vaccinations had been administered in Pennsylvania, including 6,616,204 partial vaccinations, 6,352,823 full vaccinations and 327,181 additional doses.

Why is the 70% vaccination rate important?

In the early days of the COVID vaccine distribution, 70% often was touted as the goal to reach herd or population immunity — a point at which a significant portion of a population becomes immune to a disease either through vaccinations or exposure, ultimately reducing the likelihood that it will continue to spread and affect those who cannot be vaccinated.

In May, when the state reached a 70% partial vaccination rate, Wolf said he would lift his masking order if the full vaccination rate reached the same milestone. The order was lifted in late June, with the target goal having not been met.

However, medical experts like Chief Infection Control and Prevention Officer for Lehigh Valley Health Network Dr. Alex Benjamin, said the precise metric to reach herd immunity has changed, in part thanks to new variants of the disease like delta.

“The concept of herd immunity still applies and we know that states with higher vaccination rates see fewer children (who cannot get vaccinated) come down with disease from COVID. The exact threshold for achieving herd immunity is a moving target when new variants are active, because we don’t know who exactly is considered vulnerable and who is susceptible (unvaccinated people and people whose immunity has waned),” Benjamin said.

Even the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention note that "we are still learning how many people need to be vaccinated against COVID-19 before the population can be considered protected."

And while there may not be a concrete number to attain herd immunity — at least at the moment — medical experts agree that reaching a 70% vaccination rate is still something to celebrate, even if much work remains to be done.

“It’s encouraging that more and more Pennsylvanians continue to get fully vaccinated,” Benjamin said, “I think the data are clear that vaccination reduces hospitalizations and severe disease.”

Report: Vaccinations are working

Just last week, the Department of Health released an updated report showing that vaccines continue to be the most effective strategy against COVID-19.

Between Jan. 1 and Oct. 4, 91% of COVID-19 cases occurred in unvaccinated or not fully vaccinated people; 93% of COVID-19 hospitalizations were in unvaccinated or not fully vaccinated people; and 93% of COVID-19-related deaths were in unvaccinated or not fully vaccinated people.

“What we continue to see is that the vaccines that are widely available to everyone 12 and older are highly effective for preventing hospitalizations and deaths, even as more post-vaccination cases occur in the context of more transmissible variants,” Acting Secretary of Health Alison Beam said.

The Department of Health, along with the governor’s office, continues to encourage eligible Pennsylvanians to get vaccinated against the virus, and to utilize other mitigation efforts.

“It is still important to practice social distancing when able, wearing a mask in large crowds, and washing your hands frequently — especially as delta remains a threat in our communities,” Barton said.

Vaccine hesitancy has been a significant issue since the introduction of the shots, with factors like misinformation presented by untrustworthy sources affecting patients’ decisions to get inoculated. On Sept. 17, the DOH debuted a video resource to help answer common questions about vaccines in an attempt to provide verifiable information to the masses.

“The COVID-19 vaccines are proven to be safe and effective, however, it’s normal to have questions about them,” Acting Physician General Dr. Denise Johnson said. “With so much information and misinformation out there, access to reliable and trusted sources can help you make the best decision for you and your family. Vaccines are the best tools we have to protect against COVID-19, especially with the delta variant and other strains of the virus.”

The DOH and other organizations have made several concerted efforts to address hesitancy throughout the pandemic – just a few weeks ago, Johnson spoke on the matter at the Pennsylvania Latino Convention; the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People held a speaking engagement discussing the subject in the black community in March 2021, and in early September, the DOH and the United Way expanded a program focused on helping faith-based and non-profit organizations decrease hesitancy and increase vaccinations.

“The (Wolf) administration has never stopped addressing vaccine hesitancy — and continues to tirelessly connect with residents to educate them on the importance and effectiveness of the vaccine,” DOH Press Secretary Maggi Barton said. “We need Pennsylvanians to know that it is vitally important that individuals understand that the vaccine continues to be highly effective against the COVID-19 virus especially serious illness, hospitalization and death.”

Over the past few weeks, waning efficacy in vaccinations has been a hot topic in the medical community, with talk of boosters being necessary to maintain protection from the pandemic. While the DOH has that it has the supplies to administer booster shots, only certain individuals — largely the elderly, those with underlying medical conditions, and workers who are at increased risk of exposure to the virus — are currently eligible to receive one.

Pennsylvania ranks fifth in the nation for total vaccinations administered according to the CDC, and seventh for first doses administered according to the DOH.