More than a month into the rollout, the Pennsylvania Health Department hasn’t done any targeted outreach on the vaccine to communities that don’t speak English, many of whom have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic.
The Wolf administration threw cold water Wednesday on the idea of a one-stop-shop system that would help people schedule COVID-19 vaccine appointments, which some health executives are advocating as a way to manage the mad scramble for shots that has eligible residents signing up with multiple providers.
bkibler@altoonamirror.com
The Biden administration’s new plan to increase its advance notice to states for how many COVID-19 vaccine doses they’ll get from one week to three is a major boon, according to Pennsylvania’s acting Department of Health Secretary Alison Beam.
A week’s “visibility” is insufficient for planning at the department and a “limiting factor” for local providers, because it cramps their ability to set up logistically with staff, space and other resources, Beam said Wednesday at a hearing of the state House Health Committee.
Three weeks, however, will be “a tremendous shift,” Beam said. “It’s a game changer.”
MICHAEL RUBINKAM Associated Press
The Wolf administration threw cold water Wednesday on the idea of a one-stop-shop system that would help people schedule COVID-19 vaccine appointments, which some health executives are advocating as a way to manage the mad scramble for shots that has eligible residents signing up with multiple providers.
A centralized registration portal would present significant technical hurdles, and would not solve the primary challenge faced by Pennsylvania and every other state the lack of supply, said Alison Beam, the acting health secretary.
“There is not enough vaccine, with or without a registration system, and a registration system won’t fix that limiting factor,” Beam said at a House Health Committee hearing.
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Pennsylvania’s lagging coronavirus vaccine distribution came under fire Wednesday as health leaders cited poor communication and disorganization as reasons for the slow rollout and lawmakers questioned the state’s efficiency in inoculating residents.
The three-hour hearing, conducted by the House Health Committee, addressed concerns with vaccine accessibility, racial disparities, the pace and efficiency of the process, and other issues that have become prominent during the rollout. Health leaders, meanwhile, pointed out persistent flaws in how the government communicates with vaccine providers, causing difficulties with organizing clinics and administering doses.