HARRISBURG, Pennsylvania – Republicans are blaming the administration of Democratic Governor Tom Wolf for the slow launch of the covid-19 vaccine in Pennsylvania, although Wolf himself says that insufficient supply is the real culprit, starting a new political struggle over who is to blame. frustrations of eligible residents trying to get vaccinated.
Republican Party leaders in the House and Senate blamed Wolf for the fact that Pennsylvania ranks second among states in vaccine administration. The state was able to place less than half of its federal dose allocation in people’s arms, according to data from the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
State health officials say some 720,000 Pennsylvania residents have received at least one injection by Thursday, a fraction of the more than 4 million who are currently eligible.
“The statewide launch of this vaccine is fraught with inconsistencies, fraud and lack of transparency,” said Senate majority leader Kim Ward, R-Westmoreland, adding that the slow launch “will prolong any attempts to start the already devastated one. Pennsylvania economy. ”
Wolf, meanwhile, said the Trump administration has made big promises with vaccines, hampering Pennsylvania’s ability to quickly inoculate millions of people.
In the last days of Donald Trump’s presidency, when Pennsylvania followed the CDC’s guidance, expanding eligibility for people aged 65 and over and with serious health problems, he did so with the expectation of receiving a huge increase in his weekly quota of vaccines.
This did not happened.
“The biggest challenge we face is that we are not getting enough doses of the vaccine to meet Pennsylvania’s needs,” said Wolf, adding that “it has been frustrating and disappointing because we all have the federal government to make sure we have the vaccines. ”
President Joe Biden, who took office last week, promised to increase deliveries to the states. Pennsylvania expects to receive 160,000 doses next week, up from 140,000 doses in previous weeks, according to the state Department of Health. But that is still far below the 705,000 doses requested by vaccine suppliers.
Bill Johnston-Walsh, director of AARP in Pennsylvania, said his office has received calls from members who are confused and frustrated at being unable to contact a provider and then make an appointment.
One of its members, a resident of the Pittsburgh area, reported making 10 or 15 calls to get an interview with her elderly husband – in Erie, a few hours away.
AARP wants the Wolf administration to establish a toll-free number that would allow older residents to connect to a vaccine provider. At the moment, Pennsylvania has a dispersed distribution system that involves hospitals, doctors’ offices, pharmacy chains, municipal health departments and even supermarkets.
“What we ask for is a live person on the phone to answer their questions or help them navigate the system, instead of what you’re doing now, which is moving from one pharmacy or community health center to another,” Johnston -Walsh said.
For political reasons, criticism of the launch of Wolf’s vaccine is a kind of change for the Republican Party.
Republicans, who hold the majority in both legislative chambers, have spent nearly a year attacking Wolf’s efforts to defeat the coronavirus. They fought against his pandemic measures in court, saying he overreacted in closing deals, ordering people to stay at home and setting size limits for meetings. They are promoting a constitutional amendment that would limit Wolf’s emergency powers. Some of them refuse to wear a mask in public.
Regarding vaccines, however, Republicans have come to say that Wolf is not doing enough. The Health Committee of the state chamber scheduled a hearing on Monday to investigate the vaccine’s launch in the state.
“The administration’s confused and myopic orientation caused significant public anguish,” said House majority leader Kerry Benninghoff, R-Center.
Dr. Mark Roberts, director of the Laboratory of Dynamics of Public Health at the University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health, said it is difficult to blame the state, given the primacy of the federal government in the distribution of vaccines.
The criticism is not limited to Wolf’s Republican antagonists. Last week, Democratic Senator Lindsey Williams said the state’s vaccine delivery system needs more transparency and clarity. Johnston-Walsh, the director of AARP, wrote to Wolf last week that “Pennsylvania has a logistical problem”, which he said was “simply unacceptable for AARP and should be for everyone in Pennsylvania”.
The state Department of Health says the CDC’s statistics don’t tell the whole story. Even though the doses may be listed as “allocated”, it may take several days for them to arrive. Vaccine providers take one to three days to report that they have administered the vaccines. In addition, Pennsylvania is withholding second doses, while other states are eliminating them all at once.
But Wolf, speaking to reporters this week, acknowledged the work ahead of us.
“We want to do a much better job than what we are doing and we will continue to improve this process,” he said.
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