10 PA Counties With Highest COVID-19 Vaccination Rates

PENNSYLVANIA — Counties across Pennsylvania are seeing varying levels of success in their vaccine administration, as efforts continue around the country to inoculate residents before another wave of the virus takes hold.

Many rural parts of the state with smaller populations lead Pennsylvania in percentage of adults who have been fully vaccinated, according to a study from the New York Times that tracks county-level data around the nation.

Here's a glance at the Pennsylvania counties that have vaccinated the largest percentage of those 18 and older:

1. Forest County: 53 percent
2. Montour County: 53 percent
3. Elk County: 41 percent
4. Lackawanna County: 41 percent
5. Butler: 39 percent
6. Cameron County: 38 percent
7. Jefferson County: 36 percent
8. Delaware County: 35 percent
9. Chester County: 35 percent
10. Luzerne County: 34 percent

In the southeastern part of the state, counties have each fully vaccinated between 31 and 35 percent of their adult populations. However, as this is the most populous region in the state, there are still a very large number of unvaccinated or partially vaccinated individuals.

Partial vaccination numbers do provide a more optimistic outlook: Pennsylvania has administered at least one dose to 7,141,842 individuals as of Monday, according to state data. There are some 9.3 million adults living in the state.

In southeastern Pennsylvania, counties have been hit especially hard by the recent pause on administration of Johnson & Johnson doses. Just over two weeks ago, the four counties in the Philadelphia were each promised a weekly allocation of 10,500 doses of J&J; this shift in state policy, coupled with an increase in doses, allowed the southeastern counties to drastically accelerate their rollout, complete scheduling for the 1A priority group, and open up eligibility to the general public.

This came as a huge relief to local leaders, who had been saying for weeks that the state Department of Health was shortchanging them in their vaccine allocations. But now, with Johnson & Johnson halted through at least April 24 in Pennsylvania, the speed of future vaccinations is cloudy.

Speed is particularly important given the fourth wave of the virus surging in many parts of the country, including Pennsylvania. Officials have characterized vaccine administration as a "race" to get the public to herd immunity, which would occur when at least 70 to 80 percent of the population is either vaccinated or has antibodies from a previous infection.

The New York Times projection model shows that at the current pace of vaccine administration, the entire country could receive at least one shot by the end of 2021.

For full information about getting a coronavirus vaccine in Pennsylvania, visit Patch's information hub.