BUCKS COUNTY, PA – As of Wednesday noon, there were 34,292 confirmed cases of coronavirus in Bucks County and 987 COVID-related deaths, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health.
County health officials were working to distribute vaccines to the public, according to the Pennsylvania vaccination plan. This article will be updated as new information becomes available. Mark it as a favorite and check back for the latest news on the COVID-19 vaccine in Bucks County.
Who has already been vaccinated?
At noon on Wednesday, 13,865 people in Bucks County were partially vaccinated against COVID-19 and another 4,150 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?
Currently, Bucks County, like the rest of Pennsylvania, is in Phase 1A of the launch of four phases of the coronavirus vaccine in the state. Until Tuesday, this meant that the only people eligible for the vaccine were healthcare professionals and residents and employees of nursing homes and other care facilities.
But on Tuesday, state officials dramatically increased the number of Pennsylvania citizens eligible for the vaccine during the initial phase. Everyone aged 65 and over, along with residents 16 and older who have health problems that put them at high risk for the virus, were immediately eligible, making nearly 3.5 million Pennsylvania residents now eligible for vaccines.
On Friday, the county added a form allowing 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. Those whose status changed on Tuesday will be moved from list 1B to list 1A and do not need to register a second time, officials said.
Click here to register for a COVID-19 vaccination in Bucks County
Where to get the vaccine in Bucks County
As of Wednesday, there were no COVID-19 vaccine sites open to the public in Bucks County.
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 currently not providing COVID vaccines, but on Wednesday, county commissioners confirmed that 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.
The 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.
Vaccine Supply In Bucks Co.
On Wednesday, county commissioners said the county currently does not have enough vaccine to vaccinate the number of people who are now eligible for the new version of the state plan. They said supply chain problems with the federal and state governments have reduced supplies here and urged those governments to deliver more vaccines to the county as soon as possible.
In a press release, Bucks County officials said Tuesday’s announcement “widened the already wide gap between the number of eligible residents and the available supply of vaccine.”
The availability of COVID-19 vaccines in Bucks County is a developing story. Patch will update this post as new information becomes available in the coming days and weeks. Check back for more details as they become available.