Bucks County COVID-19 Vaccine Rollout: Updates

UPDATED 2:10 p.m., Friday, Feb. 19.

BUCKS COUNTY, PA — Three public COVID-19 vaccination clinics have now opened in Bucks County, marking a key advance in the county's effort to give vaccinations for the virus to the general public.

But local health officials continued to voice frustration at the amount of the vaccine they have received, saying they expect bigger shipments to start arriving, but not for at least a couple of weeks.

Dr. David Damsker this week said he doesn't expect a significant increase in the county's vaccine supply until March. But Alison Beam, Pennsylvania's acting secretary of health, said that the state will start sending larger amounts of vaccine to providers who are able to immunize people most quickly — namely county health departments and larger hospitals.

Primary care doctors and other small providers will get a smaller share of the overall vaccine supply, she said.

Moving more vaccine quickly was made tougher this week due to a series of winter storms that dumped snow and ice on the Philadelphia region.

Treacherous road conditions in Pennsylvania, as well as other parts of the country, have caused delays in the direct shipments of both the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines to providers, the state Department of Health said on Friday.

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 time frame.\

The state was already facing delays for some 30,000 to 60,000 second-dose vaccine appointments. This was due to a larger number of Moderna doses, which were supposed to be set aside for the second shots, being mistakenly given out as first doses.

As of Friday, there have been 43,785 coronavirus cases reported in Bucks County and 1,107 COVID-related deaths, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health.

Bucks County Vaccination Clinics

The clinics opened on Tuesday, Feb. 16 on campuses of Bucks County Community College in Bristol, Newtown and Perkasie. Collectively, they are administering 600 initial doses of Moderna vaccine per day by appointment to people eligible during the 1A phase of Pennsylvania's vaccine rollout. They operate Tuesdays through Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., contingent on an adequate supply of the vaccine.

Vaccine recipients are being selected from a database of almost 200,000 people and businesses that have registered for vaccinations coordinated through the Bucks County Health Department. Those in the 1A grouping who registered earliest will be summoned first, county commissioners have said.

Who's Already Vaccinated?

As of Friday, 37,349 people had received one dose of the two-shot vaccination in Bucks County, while another 21,397 had gotten both doses, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health.

Thursday afternoon, county officials said that 96 percent of the vaccine supply that Bucks County had received has been administered.

Initially, most of the doses delivered to the county were administered at Bucks County hospitals to their employees, or by pharmacists visiting the county's nursing homes and other long-term care facilities.

An increasing number now are being give at the county clinics and to patients of the county's hospitals who have registered either with the county or through the hospital itself.

Who Is Eligible To Get The Vaccine Now?

Bucks County, like the rest of Pennsylvania, remains in Phase 1A of the state's four-phase rollout of the coronavirus vaccine. Originally, that meant the only people eligible for a vaccine were healthcare workers and residents and employees of nursing homes and other care facilities.

But state officials dramatically increased the number of Pennsylvanians eligible for the vaccine during the initial phase. Everyone 65 and older, along with residents 16 or older who have health conditions that put them at high risk from the virus immediately were made eligible, adding about 3.5 million Pennsylvania residents to the list of those eligible for the shots.

However, the state is experiencing issues obtaining an adequate supply of the vaccine, officials said.

How To Sign Up

Bucks County has created an online hub for information on the coronavirus vaccine. The hub contains detailed information on who is eligible to be vaccinated under each of the state plan's four phases.

On it, there's a form letting residents register for the vaccine. Once registered, residents will be contacted to schedule a vaccination appointment once sufficient supplies arrive, officials said.

Click Here To Register For A COVID-19 Vaccination In Bucks County

Anyone in Bucks County with internet access is encouraged to register for a vaccination online. But, for those who do not have internet access, there is another way. In Bucks County, residents may register for a vaccination by calling the county's coronavirus helpline at 1-800-383-0371.

Where To Get The Vaccine In Bucks County

Invitations are being sent out by email, offering appointments at the county clinics. Each site should be able to vaccinate 500 people per day once an ample vaccine supply is available, officials said.

Bucks County hospitals also have begun registering members of the public to receive the vaccine. St. Mary Medical Center in Langhorne now is accepting online registrations from people older than 65 and those 16 or older with existing health conditions. The hospital said it plans to open up eligibility in the next several weeks.

See The St. Mary Medical Center COVID-19 Vaccine Form Here

Lower Bucks Hospital in Bristol also has announced plans to open a COVID-19 vaccination clinic for members of the public.

Find A Coronavirus Vaccine Site Near Me: Pennsylvania

Doylestown Health's priority is to vaccinate as many appropriate individuals in the current 1A Phase as supply and resources allow, hospital spokesperson Beth Long told Patch. The hospital network is contacting patients it considers most vulnerable and at the highest risk of contracting COVID-19 to make appointments.

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