COVID-19 In Pittsburgh: Allegheny County To Expand Vaccine Eligibility As Leaders Fear Spring Surge
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - Allegheny County is expanding who is eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine at its clinics.
Before this, the county was only vaccinating people older than 65. It's now expanding eligibility to people ages 50 to 64 in the state's 1A category on Friday. That includes people with high-risk conditions like cancer, heart conditions or type 2 diabetes.
This is welcoming news for Jen Stenson, who falls in this category and now has a new option to get the vaccine.
"I think this is awesome, great news. I'm looking forward to going to get my vaccine," Stenson said. "I've been hoping to get one soon. I've been searching all the websites. So now that it's official, I'll be glad to go get one."
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Right now, Allegheny County runs multiple appointment-only clinics, including one in Monroeville, Castle Shannon and a new one that just opened at the Peterson Events Center Wednesday.
The county plans to open two other vaccination sites at the Ross Township Community Center and one at the Central Baptist Church in the Hill District.
County health officials said they're administering 10,000 shots a day and have more doses on the way. It comes as Allegheny County Health Director Dr. Debra Bogen said she's worried about a spring surge.
She says there are a couple of outbreaks in the county associated with the U.K. variant, which spreads more efficiently. She says infected residents are reporting going to more events, and she's worried as the state slowly reopens, case counts might go up.
"I please ask that everyone remain cautious for another month or two while we get more people vaccinated," she said at a press conference Wednesday.
While fears remain in the county, relief is on the way for more families.
"So I can take the mask off and we can get back to some sense of normalcy as soon as possible," Robert Beck from McCandless said.
Even though more vaccines are going out, the health department is urging people to still wear masks and social distance.
More information about the county's vaccine clinics can be found online.