By Marc Levy, Michael Rubinkam and Claudia Lauer •
Published January 27, 2021 •
Updated on January 27, 2021 at 9:14 am
NBC Universal, Inc.
What to Know
Gov. Tom Wolf is defending Pennsylvania’s rollout of the coronavirus vaccine, saying it was left in the lurch by the Trump administration’s overpromises and that a decentralized vaccine signup system should prove to be more efficient, as opposed to a centralized portal some states use.
Wolf said the state has received just 1.5 million doses, nowhere near the 8 million doses it needs to cover everyone in its just-expanded first vaccination phase.
At the current rate, it will take well past summer to reach the next phase, which includes police, corrections officers, first responders, teachers, grocery workers and others.
Pennsylvania has been getting about 140,000 doses a week from the federal government and Wolf blamed a lack of supply, shifting guidance and unpredictable distributions by the Trump administration for a frustrating and disappointing rollout.
bkibler@altoonamirror.com
Pennsylvania is “in the middle of the pack” in vaccination performance with its decentralized approach and not only needs to improve, but is willing to “steal” successful practices from other states if that will help, Gov. Tom Wolf said during a virtual news conference Tuesday.
But the main holdup for Pennsylvania and other states is a lack of doses from the federal government, according to Wolf and officials at the meeting.
“(When we) get more vaccines, I think we will do better,” Wolf said. “We want to be at the top.”
Pennsylvania is actually below the middle in percentage of doses received that have been administered 41st, at 5.1%, placing it in the 18th performance percentile, according to a New York Times chart.
Governor pins vaccine difficulties on supply overpromises wfmj.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from wfmj.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Matt Slocum / ap
Gov. Tom Wolf defended Pennsylvania s rollout of the coronavirus vaccine Tuesday, saying it was left in the lurch by the Trump administration s overpromises and that a decentralized vaccine signup system should prove to be more efficient, as opposed to a centralized portal some states use.
He also defended federal guidelines adopted by his administration that pushed smokers into the first phase of vaccination, calling it an objective assessment of who is most vulnerable, not a value judgment.
Meanwhile, Philadelphia abruptly cut off a vaccine clinic operator amid concerns that it had sought to profiteer from the work.