The following vaccine developments took place in Bucks County during the week of January 22-29:
BUCKS COUNTY, PA – As of Friday afternoon, there were 39,657 cases of coronavirus reported in Bucks County and 1,034 COVID-related deaths, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health.
County health officials continued to try to provide vaccines to the public, according to the Pennsylvania vaccination plan.
Who has already been vaccinated?
As of Friday afternoon, 21,504 people in Bucks County were partially vaccinated against COVID-19 and another 7,492 people received both doses of the double vaccine. Most vaccines have been administered at Bucks County hospitals to their employees or by pharmacists who visit county health homes and other long-term care facilities.
Who is eligible to receive the vaccine now?
Bucks County, like the rest of Pennsylvania, remains in Phase 1A of the launch of four phases of the coronavirus vaccine. This originally meant that the only people eligible for the vaccine were health workers, residents and employees of nursing homes and other care facilities.
Bucks County has created an online hub for information on the coronavirus vaccine. The hub contains detailed information about who is eligible to be vaccinated in each of the four phases of the state plan.
There, there is a form that allows residents to register for the vaccine. Once registered, residents will be contacted to schedule a vaccination appointment as soon as sufficient supplies arrive, officials said.
Click here to register for a COVID-19 vaccination in Bucks County
Anyone in Bucks County with access to the Internet is encouraged to register for an online vaccine. But, for those who do not have access to the internet, there is another way. In Bucks County, residents can register for vaccination by calling the county coronavirus helpline at 1-800-383-0371.
Where to get the vaccine in Bucks County
At the end of the week, there were no COVID-19 vaccine sites open to the public in Bucks County. But officials expect that to change soon.
During the initial phase of vaccine implantation, most doses were administered in local hospitals to employees. Pharmacy staff have also visited nursing homes and other facilities to vaccinate eligible people.
The county has opened a clinic by appointment only in Langhorne, where health professionals not affiliated with one of the county’s hospitals have received vaccines, but that clinic is not open to the public.
Currently, the county has opened COVID-19 test sites on three Bucks County Community College campuses across the county. These locations are not currently providing COVID vaccines, but county commissioners said they plan to convert them early next month.
The commissioners also said that at least two other vaccination sites are planned, although they have not been publicly identified. All five sites will be managed through a partnership with AMI Expeditionary Healthcare, which manages the BCCC test sites.
Bucks County hospitals have begun to announce that they will soon also be giving the vaccine to the public. The St. Mary Medical Center in Langhorne is now accepting online applications from people over 65 and 16 and over with existing health problems.
The hospital said it plans to open eligibility in the coming weeks.
See the St. Mary Medical Center COVID-19 vaccine form here
Bucks County also plans to bring together smaller teams to visit communities of the elderly, properties of housing authorities, places that provide services to the homeless and other places to administer vaccines, the commissioners said.
Lower Bucks Hospital in Bristol announced plans to open a COVID-19 vaccination clinic to the public sometime next month
Hospital spokeswoman Michelle Aliprantis told Patch that the clinic will be partnered with the Bucks County Health Department and the state of Pennsylvania. She said plans are to have the clinic up and running by mid-February.
Doylestown Health’s priority is to vaccinate as many appropriate individuals in the current Phase 1A as the supply and resources allow, hospital spokeswoman Beth Long told Patch:
Doylestown Health’s medical offices (primary care and specialists) are reaching out to their patients who are the most vulnerable and most at risk of contracting COVID-19 to meet the most immediate vaccine demand. The patient will be contacted when he is eligible and will have the opportunity to schedule an appointment at one of two locations: Doylestown Hospital or Doylestown Health Urgent Care (both locations by appointment only). The number of vaccines administered daily, in both locations, will vary according to the vaccine supply available, which is currently far below demand.
On Wednesday, eastern Pennsylvania’s first public vaccination clinic opened in Lehigh County. Hundreds of first respondents and elderly residents lined up for their first dose of the vaccine in Dorney Park. The Allentown day clinic was open to people aged 75 and over who had made an appointment, as well as health professionals and first responders.
The location is temporary, but health officials say more mass vaccination clinics are coming.
Be the first to know what’s going on in your city and region. Sign up to receive Patch emails and don’t miss a minute of local and state news: https://patch.com/subscribe