Chesco, Delco, Montco, Bucks Share Vax Doses, Eligibility Expands

CHESTER COUNTY, PA — It was a busy day in Pennsylvania for COVID-19 vaccine news as the state ditched its regional mass vaccination clinics plan, counties got the news they'd be getting more doses directly, and the governor announced everyone will be eligible for vaccination by April 19.

The planned state-run, regional mass vaccination clinics in southeastern Pennsylvania will not materialize, after all, officials announced on Wednesday, as the counties will instead directly receive an increase in doses to administer themselves. Local leaders in the Philadelphia collar counties had aggressively campaigned for just this outcome for weeks.

State leaders pointed to President Biden's recent announcements, including the doubling of the federal retail pharmacy partnership to include some 40,000 providers nationwide, as the reason for the shift in policy.

Chester County's commissioners issued a statement Wednesday afternoon in response to the news:

"We are pleased that the State has been responsive to the feedback it has received, and has adapted its plans to allow us to manage our own vaccine distribution. Our residents can now feel assured they will be able to get a vaccine without having to drive to a regional site. Next, we look forward to receiving confirmation on the quantity of doses that will be sent to us."

"As soon as the State confirms the number of doses that we will be receiving, we will open additional appointments for eligible populations at our vaccine clinics. We will also enhance our program reaching our at-home residents, those in non-licensed smaller senior homes, and those experiencing homelessness. The Johnson & Johnson vaccine will help greatly in that regard."

"Importantly, we will be able to expand our equity program, under which we allocate 20 percent of our supply to serving disadvantaged communities. This welcome addition will bolster those outreach efforts in our agricultural areas and elsewhere," the Chester County commissioners' statement said.

"We will be announcing more specifics of our plan in the coming days, but we are prepared and eager to roll out this expanded supply of vaccine and get as many shots in arms as quickly as possible," the commissioners added.

Read more about the state's decision to drop its regional vaccination plan here.

Montgomery County said its weekly shipment of 42,000 Johnson & Johnson doses originally intended for the regional clinic will be split evenly between the four southeastern counties; Chester, Bucks, Delaware, and Montgomery counties. Each week, each county will get 10,500 of these doses, in addition to the scant amount they've been receiving.

Gov. Tom Wolf also announced today changes to the timeline for Pennsylvania's accelerated three-week vaccine rollout. All Pennsylvanians will now be eligible for the COVID vaccine by April 19, the governor said.

Rep. Daniell Friel-Otten (D-155th) today responded to Wolf's announcement this afternoon, saying, "Pennsylvania will move onto vaccinating Phase 1B members by April 5 and Phase 1C members by April 12. This is made possible based on the Biden Administration's plans to further expand and increase allocations of vaccine directly to retail pharmacies."

Friel-Otten added, "Please note that as Pennsylvania expands eligibility for the vaccine, no previous groups will be disqualified. So if you are in Phase 1A or 1B, you can still schedule an appointment even after eligibility is opened to Phase 1B and 1C."

Those interested can register with the Chester County Health Department to receive their vaccine here. Those already registered in the County system and have already received your vaccine can go to the same page and click on "login."

Read a Patch report on the expedited timeline here.

The graphic below was posted on social media by Gov. Tom Wolf:

Justin Heinze contributed to this report.