Allegheny County officials said on Wednesday that they are making plans to take doses of the vaccine in tall buildings and similar communities, establishing a telephone record and looking for ways to streamline the registration process.
The measures take time, officials said, and require a larger and more reliable supply of vaccine. The county – as well as providers across the region – find it difficult to plan future vaccine appointments when allocations are unpredictable in quantity and on arrival.
“I know there is a lot of frustration out there,” said Debra Bogen, county health director. “Clinics are filling up quickly. The state registration system is confusing and sometimes does not work. You are wondering when you can get a vaccine and how you can get it. I really hear you. ”
After opening consultations for vaccine distribution last week, all vacancies were filled in less than 30 minutes, said Bogen. Health department officials are now checking appointments for everyone who registered in the county and canceling appointments for people who are not eligible.
Bogen said the county still faces a shortage of vaccine supplies. She estimated that about a third of the county’s population is now eligible – but there are not enough doses for everyone.
Overall, however, Bogen said vaccinations are increasing in communities across the county. The health department received about 50,000 doses last week, almost double the number the week before.
All county health systems and several community pharmacies are offering doses, and the health department received enough vaccine this week to guarantee the second dose while continuing to vaccinate the first dose.
“We have so many willing and able people and organizations on hand to help with vaccination,” she said.
County officials were hopeful that the new presidential administration would reorganize federal vaccine deployment efforts, streamlining vaccine manufacturing and distribution.
President Joe Biden set a goal on Monday to vaccinate at least 100 million Americans in his first 100 days in office. He said there would be enough vaccine for 300 million doses by the end of the summer. Biden also invoked the Defense Production Act to increase vaccine manufacturing.
“I think the fact that the president and his team just focused on it and really made it a priority – meeting with the manufacturers, making plans to do the distribution … I think it will improve,” County Executive Said Rich Fitzgerald.
As vaccine implantation develops, covid-19 levels in Allegheny County are “encouraging,” said Bogen.
The average daily case count is below 300 this week, 120 less than last week. The municipality’s positivity rate also fell to 7.8%, down 1.6% from last week. The decline allowed the health department to devote more time to case investigations for everyone. In late November, the health department announced that investigators would have to prioritize which people to call, due to the number of new cases reported.
Still, Bogen urged residents not to let the numbers “calm them down”, making them think that it is safe to stop practicing secret security – especially with the emergence of new variants of the virus. She said the health department is looking for signs to see if the variants are present in Allegheny County and surrounding areas.
“If these variants become the dominant strain in our region, it could undo all of the hard work we’ve done to decrease the case count,” she said.
Teghan Simonton is a staff writer for the Tribune-Review. You can contact Teghan at 724-226-4680, [email protected] or via Twitter .
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