PA Planning Mass Vaccination Clinics Statewide

PENNSYLVANIA — As millions of state residents anxiously await their turn to receive the coronavirus vaccine, the state is planning the rollout of mass vaccination sites across Pennsylvania.

These community clinics will complement the already burgeoning field of vaccine clinics existing across the state, being run either at the county level or by healthcare groups.

An exact date for when these clinics will open is not yet clear, and the number of sites and ultimate timeline is reliant upon shipments of the vaccine. However, the state Department of Health has arranged for at least one mass vaccination site in each county.

"Right now, we are dependent on how much vaccine the manufacturers can produce and are awaiting federal funding to implement these plans," a spokesperson for the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency told Patch in an email.

Pennsylvanians can learn more about where they can get vaccinated and when they'll be eligible at the state Department of Health's vaccine website here.

Last week, PEMA director Randy Padfield said new administration sites and methods will look different depending on the part of the state in question, and its specific needs.

"No one approach is applicable throughout the entire state," he said.

In addition to mass vaccine clinics, the state will also utilize mobile vaccination trucks to access underserved communities that otherwise might not receive doses, they said.

All told, Pennsylvania's Interim Vaccination Plan describes seven different types of vaccination sites that will be utilized, and the estimated number of vaccines these sites will receive per day.

• Large outpatient centers (mass sites): about 480 vaccinations a day
• Hospitals or outpatient centers: about 192 vaccinations per day
• Large hospital with affiliated outpatient center: 340 vaccinations per day
• Outdoor parking lot at retail pharmacy: 240 vaccinations per day
• Mobile vaccination trucks: 150 vaccinations per day
• Large indoor spaces, like convention halls: 480 vaccinations
• Drive-through clinics: 480 vaccinations

These numbers are just estimates, and obviously will vary from site to site. While details remain to be ironed out, the Department of Health has arranged for at least one community mass vaccination clinic in each county. "Locations will be identified in collaboration with the Department’s District Health Offices, PHPCs, County EMAs, and other stakeholders," officials said.

Last fall, in preparation for COVID-19 distribution, the state ran four mass vaccine clinics for flu shots. They closely analyzed the successes and shortcomings of the clinics in an effort to fine-tune their approach. Efficient distribution and easy administration of doses is something sorely needed across the state, as Gov. Tom Wolf acknowledged last week that many of the existing vaccine distribution sites are overwhelmed and "not up for the challenge."

The challenge facing these some 1,000 sites, of course, is the same challenge faced across the nation: millions of residents are eligible to receive doses and sign up for vaccine appointments in the expanded 1A category, but quantities of vaccine remain vastly insufficient.

"This is undoubtedly the largest and most complex vaccination program ever initiated in the state, the nation, and the world," Padfield said.

In addition to these incipient state-run sites, numerous healthcare organizations have announced plans to run mass vaccination clinics. The first mass site in eastern Pennsylvania was opened last week by the Lehigh Valley Health Network for a one-day run at Dorney Park. The health network plans to open additional mass vaccination clinics in Northampton and Monroe counties, as well as "large-scale drive-through COVID-19 vaccine events throughout the region" as supplies become available.

Penn State Health has also begun vaccinating patients who qualify under 1A, and says they are planning their own clinics "throughout central Pennsylvania" in Berks, Cumberland, Dauphin, and Lancaster counties.

WellSpan Health Systems, meanwhile, has already launched a total of 22 vaccination sites across Adams, Franklin, Lancaster, Lebanon and York counties.

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