First 1,200 Doses Of COVID Vaccine Administered 'Smoothly' In PA

PENNSYLVANIA — More than a thousand doses from the first shipment of the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine have been administered in hospitals across Pennsylvania this week, officials said Monday. Thus far, there have been no reports of adverse side effects.

The 1,205 doses, administered as of noon Thursday, have been given to frontline healthcare workers in 16 different hospitals statewide. It's a welcome point of light and optimism as hospitals are handling the largest number of COVID-19 patients since the pandemic, with the latest statistics — 6,346 hospitalized — doubling the peak in the spring.

"Things are moving smoothly," Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine said in a news briefing Thursday afternoon. "Vaccine delivery has not been delayed because of the snow, and hospitals are moving as quickly as possible to administer the vaccine."

The remainder of this first allotment, which includes 97,500 more doses, is on its way to 71 other hospitals statewide. It's expected to arrive by end of day Thursday or early Friday morning. Additional allotments are on the way, but the exact timetable, and the exact number of doses to be received, is not yet known.

"It's dependent on how much is delivered, which is dependent is how much the companies can produce," Levine added, noting that the exact schedule is in the hands of the federal government's Operation Warp Speed, as well the pharmaceutical companies producing the vaccines.

Hospitals receiving the first delivery of the vaccine were chosen based on their ability to store Pfizer's doses, which require a specialized, ultra-cold refrigeration unit which many facilities do not have.

These first doses are earmarked specifically for hospital workers. The second phase of the plan, which involves administration of the vaccine to nursing homes and long term care facilities, will begin Dec. 28.

Levine urged patience to the general public, saying "the path is long" to the end of the pandemic. She said late spring or early summer was her best estimate as to when doses would be available for the public.

As for what delivery to the general public might look like, Levine said that this too will depend on what vaccines are available. The Moderna vaccine is more flexible in its storage requirements, so if more of that vaccine is produced by the spring, there will be more healthcare facilities, doctor's offices, and pharmacies which can administer it.