Pennsylvania has vaccinated more than 100,000 educators against COVID-19 and has placed 5.2 million gunshots since the state’s mass vaccination campaign began in December.
The vaccine launch continues to gain momentum after a difficult initial start, with an average of more than 85,500 people who received vaccines a day in the past week.
Currently, 1.73 million people are fully vaccinated against the coronavirus, while 1.84 million are awaiting their second injection, according to data from the Pennsylvania and Philadelphia health departments.
In Lehigh Valley, about 15% of residents are now fully vaccinated.
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The state is approaching the mark of 1 million people infected with COVID-19 and 25,000 lives lost a year after the virus was first detected in Pennsylvania. Things are not going in the right direction.
The state is now averaging 3,033 new cases per day in the past week, an increase of 23% over two weeks ago, when the new cases appeared to have stabilized. Hospitalizations are increasing after a steady decline.
Here are your coronavirus updates for Tuesday, March 23, 2021
The launch of the vaccine
Pennsylvania’s efforts to bring more students back to classrooms have had a major boost in the past two weeks, with 102,161 educators receiving the Johnson & Johnson vaccine early Tuesday, according to data from the Pennsylvania Department of Health.
The state launched a mass vaccination campaign that targeted the entire vaccine stock in a single dose to educators, who were inoculated in clinics located in 28 intermediate units. Pennsylvania mobilized its national guard and AMI Expeditionary Medical Assistance to administer the vaccines.
Employees working with vulnerable elementary school students were given top priority and now they are all vaccinated, two weeks ahead of schedule.
“Vaccinating more than 100,000 teachers and staff in less than two weeks is a big step in helping students return to the classroom and stay in school,” said Governor Tom Wolf in a press release on Tuesday. “It helps to get more children back to school where they want to and relieves the burden on parents and the community. It is also another sign of hope that the light at the end of this long tunnel is getting brighter. “
Several intermediate units also vaccinated all elementary and high school employees. Once the mass clinics for educators are completed, the Johnson & Johnson vaccine will be used for workers in Phase 1B, including police, fire, grocery and farm workers, and for targeted mass vaccine clinics.
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The educator’s vaccination campaign is separate from vaccine implementation across the state. Pennsylvania remains in Phase 1A, prioritizing those over 65, frontline healthcare professionals and younger people with certain high-risk medical conditions. The state estimates that about 4.5 million Pennsylvania are currently eligible, so demand continues to exceed the available supply of vaccines.
More than 5.2 million first and second dose injections have been administered across Pennsylvania to date, according to data from the state health department and Philadelphia. (Philadelphia receives its own vaccine quota and publicly shares data other than that of the Pennsylvania Department of Health.)
Across the state, excluding Philly, more than 85,500 people a day have been vaccinated in the past week. The state received 281,010 first / single doses and 253,970 second doses this week. Overall, Pennsylvania’s administered 99% of its first doses and 65% of its reinforcements, a marked improvement.
Coronavirus in Pennsylvania and the Lehigh Valley
Tuesday marks the fifth day of last week with more than 3,000 new infections daily, something not seen since the beginning of February, when cases were declining after a brutal increase in holidays that killed thousands.
There were 3,515 new cases and 39 deaths in Tuesday’s daily report, bringing the count across the state to 991,950 infections and 24,828 deaths, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health. This includes 352 new cases and three deaths in the Lehigh Valley. Most of those who are hospitalized and died are over 65 years old.
Locally, there were 195 new cases and two new deaths in Northampton County, for a total of 29,150 infections and 671 deaths, according to Tuesday’s report. Lehigh County recorded its 800th death on Tuesday, as well as 157 new infections, bringing the total to 32,828 cases.
About 15% of residents in Northampton and Lehigh counties are now fully vaccinated and another 83,662 people have their first injection.
The statewide reduction in hospitalized patients has stagnated, notes the health department, and in fact appears to be increasing with 1,546 patients a day in the past week.
“The number of new cases has increased slightly, as has the percentage of positivity across the state, which is still worrying,” Wolf said in a press release. “As more and more citizens of Pennsylvania are being vaccinated, we must not forget to follow the mitigation measures still in place. As the weather warms up, remember to wear a mask, practice social distance and wash your hands frequently, as the virus is still present in our communities. “
Pennsylvania is expected to facilitate coronavirus mitigation measures beginning Easter Sunday, allowing restaurants to increase indoor meals to 75% capacity and start serving alcoholic beverages without food. Gyms and entertainment venues, such as casinos, will also be able to receive more customers. The health department declined to discuss whether Wolf could revise that decision in light of the increase in the number of cases.
Across the country, it is a race for vaccinations against variants of the coronavirus that allow the virus to spread more quickly, can cause more serious results and can reduce the effectiveness of existing vaccines.
It is difficult to know what is driving the increase in cases in Pennsylvania – there were 1,380 more cases last week compared to the previous week – due to limited variant surveillance tests. There have been 168 cases linked to B.1.1.7., A strain first detected in the UK, which health experts predict will become the dominant strain in the United States in the coming weeks.
Most of the coronavirus variants identified in the state were found through sequencing of commercial and hospital laboratory tests, said Maggi Barton, a spokesman for the health department. The health department is currently sending 10 to 35 test samples every fortnight to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for sequencing, because the state laboratory does not have the infrastructure in place, she said. Work is underway for the health department to do its own sequencing.
“Public health experts across the country are still learning more about the variants,” said Barton. “While there is still a lot to learn, what we do know is that the existing mitigation efforts: hand washing, masking and social detachment, all work to prevent the spread of COVID and variants.”
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Sara K. Satullo can be contacted at [email protected].