COVID-19 In Pittsburgh: State Expands Vaccine Eligibility, But Allegheny County Lacks Doses
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - On the heels of Tuesday's announcement that Phase 1A for the COVID vaccine has been expended to people 65 and over, the Allegheny County health director's message was caution and patience.
The good news is that more people are now eligible to get the vaccine.
The bad news is that there is not enough supply to vaccinate them.
Allegheny County Health Director Dr. Debra Bogen says the county is expanding the so-called 1A eligibility requirements to allow the vaccination of all people 65 and older. This will also include people 16 to 64 with underlying medical conditions including cancer, COPD, heart conditions and type 2 diabetes.
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But the county is still using its limited supply to vaccinate frontline healthcare workers and nursing home residents with their first and second doses. It doesn't have the doses to vaccinate any of the newly eligible people.
"Taken together, this represents about 4 million, or about a third, of our state's population and I would love to tell you that we can vaccinate all individuals who now meet this extended criteria today, but the current vaccine supply makes this unachievable at this time," said Bogen.
Bogen says the county has enough workers and sites to vaccinate people when those supplies come in. But right now she is asking the public to be patient.