In Chester County, 54 Percent Of Eligible Are Now Vaccinated

CHESTER COUNTY, PA — Chester County Health Department reported on April 16 that 115,277 people are fully vaccinated in Chester County, and another 111,737 people have been partially vaccinated, numbers that represent 54 percent of Chesco's population. Meanwhile, the pause on the Johnson & Johnson vaccine remains in place.

According to the Pennsylvania Department of Health, these numbers mean 227,014 people in Chester County have received at least the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. The population of Chester County according to the U.S. Census is slightly less than 525,000.

Included in that number are 58,869 people who have been partially vaccinated by the Health Department, and 38,964 people who have been fully vaccinated by us. That means that the Chester County Health Department, as a single vaccine provider, has administered 45 percent of the total vaccine in Chester County.

As of Friday, 54 percent of Chester County residents eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine had been partially or fully vaccinated. The county reported more than 54,000 people are presently scheduled with the Chester County Health Department to receive the vaccine.

Over the past week, the Chester County Health Department received a total of 21,550 vaccine doses. Specifically, it received 10,000 first and second doses of the Moderna vaccine; 5,850 first and second doses of the Pfizer vaccine; and 5,700 doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine that is currently being paused for use.

Everyone age 16 and over is eligible to schedule an appointment for the COVID-19 vaccine in Chester County, and the county health department said it encourages everyone to do so. This includes college students eligible for all vaccines, if 18 or older, and high school students age 16 or 17, who can receive the Pfizer vaccine.

Earlier this week, following guidance from federal and state health agencies, the Chester County Health Department paused the administration of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. This pause is now scheduled to remain in place, per the PA Department of Health statewide order, until at least April 24.

When the pause on the Johnson & Johnson vaccine was directed, the Chester County Health Department offered the Moderna vaccine to everyone who was scheduled to receive the J&J vaccine.

"We will continue to administer the Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines at the clinics that are currently operating. If the pause in the J&J vaccine goes beyond April 24, we will continue to adjust the timing for our J&J sites until a decision, or guidance is provided from the federal and state health agencies," Chester County Health Department said on April 16.

The pause on the administration of the J&J vaccine came after the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration recommended holding back on the vaccine while it investigates a "rare and severe" type of blood clot that developed in six J& J vaccine recipients – all women between the ages of 18 and 48.

The six reported cases were among more than 6.8 million J&J doses administered in the U.S. We recommend that anyone who has received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine and develops severe headache, abdominal pain, leg pain, or shortness of breath within three weeks of their vaccination should contact their health care provider.

The state health department's weekly report of COVID-19 metric showed cases up in Chester County. Read Friday's update on the PA Department of Health weekly report of COVID-19 metrics in Chester County.

Make sure you know what's happening in your town. Sign up to get Patch emails and don't miss any local news: https://patch.com/subscribe.