FEMA Opening PA Mass Vaccination Site: Latest Vaccine Updates

Here are the latest updates on the vaccination rollout in Pennsylvania:

PENNSYLVANIA— As the fallout from the Moderna vaccine mixup continues, residents and officials alike are pressing for answers: how did this happen, and what, exactly, is being done to ensure that it never happens again?

On Wednesday, the Pennsylvania Department of Health announced that tens of thousands of second doses of the Moderna vaccine were mistakenly administered as first doses.

While the first and second doses contain identical medicine, officials separate out shipments of the two to ensure that everyone who receives a first dose has a second dose waiting. It's been a tagline promise from the beginning. RELATED: Many 2nd Doses Of Moderna Vaccine Mistakenly Given As 1st In PA

But somehow, vaccine providers became confused.

The nature of the error

The Department of Health has declined to identify which vaccine providers made the mistakes. Though the state is in the process of winding down the total number of providers statewide to around 200 to 300, that number was as high around 1,700 just last week, so the number of providers that made the error could be quite high.

Officials have said that they don't want to allocate blame. When pressed for answers on exactly how it happened, they've been pointedly vague, noting a "need for more frequent and clear communication from the department (of health)" to providers.

Acting Secretary of Health Alison Beam pointed to a "perfect storm" of situations that facilitated the mistakes, and noted the eagerness to get out vaccines quickly, coupled with confusion about delivery times.

They also described the situation as a "structural error." Mistakenly giving out the wrong number dose has been happening statewide since January.

As for county officials, they also have not been told which providers made the mistakes. In one of the state's largest counties, Montgomery, Commissioner Val Arkoosh said that the mistakes were not by made the county's community mass vaccination clinics.

"Our team has been meticulous about giving doses out correctly," she said.

Pennsylvania is one of the few states which makes holding back second doses a part of its policy. Many other states distribute as they receive doses. In fact, both the Biden and Trump administrations have told states not to withhold doses.

This policy has previously been suggested as a possible explanation for the state's lackluster distribution efficiency rating.

'Surprised, furious, and disappointed'

Federal and local officials were dismayed at the news and called for accountability.

"Unacceptable," Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick shared on his social media channels. "While I'm glad this problem was identified, the DOH and CDC must ensure that Operation Warp Speed and the PA Department of Health have proper oversight, thus enabling them to make certain that the failures we have seen so far absolutely do not continue."

"I was surprised, furious, and disappointed," Arkoosh said in a news briefing Wednesday, reacting to when she was told of the situation. "Because we have been assured repeatedly that those second doses would be there for us, and as consequences, we have been giving out our first doses as quickly as possible."

Other officials noted that the delays could cost lives.

“The Department of Health is blaming the mistake on miscommunication and it could not have come at a worse time," State Rep. Tarah Toohill, of Luzerne County, said Thursday. "The state was already playing catch-up. Now, second doses of the Moderna vaccine are being canceled for thousands of Pennsylvanians because they were already administered."

All told, more than 100,000 residents could be impacted, with some 30,000 to 60,000 appointments needing to be rescheduled.

Learning from the mistake

Details remain vague as to how the state and vaccine providers will learn from the snafu.

The state's bipartisan joint task force on the vaccine is partnering with an outside firm, the Boston Consulting Group, to address the issue.

Secretary Beam said the state was working with providers to "help them better understand the delivery of first and second dose vaccines" but did not provide further clarity.

"We recognize that much work remains to implement a highly efficient and effective statewide plan to ensure that all Pennsylvanians who want to receive the vaccine, can," State Sen. Ryan Aument, who is part of the bipartisan joint task force on the vaccine, said in a statement.

In the meantime, the state says they will slightly delay the maximum amount of time between doses from 21 to 42 days in order to ensure everyone receives their second dose within the CDC's mandated time frame.

State legislators, however, have proposed other alternatives, not just to address this specific issue, but to improve distribution overall.

FEMA to open mass vaccination site

A federally-run mass coronavirus vaccination site will be up and running in Philadelphia next month, according to officials. FEMA Friday announced it will operate a mass vaccination site at the Pennsylvania Convention Center, a familiar location for vaccine distribution in the city. More information is here.

Centralized registration system

Legislation has been proposed in both chambers of the Pennsylvania General Assembly to create a centralized registration system.

Both call for sweeping changes to help ease the process. The house bill would see the launch of a database for all Pennsylvanians who are eligible for the vaccine. The senate proposal builds off that, and would allow residents to register themselves and family members as "willing recipients" of the vaccine, along with other key information.

As things currently stand, residents are often faced with the perplexing choice of registering for vaccination appointments separately, via numerous different providers. Although the state announced plans to drastically reduce its total number of vaccine providers, residents still face separate registration for pharmacies, doctor's offices, healthcare networks, and community sites run by individual counties.

Further, House Bill 326, which has already passed and now awaits consideration from the Senate, would establish Pennsylvania National Guard sites by region.

"It has the infrastructure, human capital and logistics to ensure vaccine distribution is both timely and efficient," Rep. Toohill, a sponsor of the bill, said.

The state has long said that state-run mass vaccination clinics were a part of the plan, but they will not be rolled out until more vaccine becomes available.

Winter weather delays

Dose madness is not the only issue impacting vaccination progress in the state.

Winter weather has caused treacherous road conditions across the state and the northeast, leading to delays in the direct shipments of both the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines to providers, officials announced Friday.

No shipments of the Moderna vaccine were shipped this past Monday through Wednesday. No Pfizer was shipped Monday, and only a small amount of Pfizer was shipped on Tuesday and Wednesday.

It is not yet clear exactly which vaccine providers have been impacted, or how many scheduled appointments may be delayed. It's also unknown if this will prevent some individuals from receiving their second doses within the CDC-recommended 42-day timeframe.

Providers will contact individuals directly if their appointment must be rescheduled, officials said.

Long Term Care Facility progress

The state remains optimistic that it is making good progress on vaccinating the most vulnerable populations.

More than 193,000 residents and staff of facilities statewide have received at least their first dose of the vaccine, as of Friday.

An additional 10,000 residents and staff have received doses through the state's partnership with Rite Aid.

“This progress is a much-needed reprieve for long-term care facilities that have been particularly challenged by COVID-19 and community transmission, and it’s a line of defense for our health care system as a whole," DHS Secretary Teresa Miller said Friday.

Efficiency update

All told, the state has administered 1,387,443 partial vaccinations and 479,797 full vaccinations as of Friday morning.

They currently rank 42nd overall in the nation in vaccine distribution efficiency at 73 percent, according to a New York Times analysis.