Matt Slocum / ap
When Leighann Bacher first started a Facebook group to help Pittsburghers find COVID-19 vaccine appointments, she and the other administrators were overwhelmed. Bacher was personally signing up a dozen or more strangers a night.
Now she’s searching for people to help. When she posts information about available appointments to the group’s more than 40,000 members, the once busy comment section is radio silent.
“It’s just like …crickets,” she said.
Bacher said the steep drop in demand hasn’t been improved by the state moving into phase 1B, which was estimated to add as many as 1 million more Pennsylvanians into the eligibility pool.
Vaccine Seekers From Pa. Travel to Ohio for Appointments
SHARE
COLUMBUS, Ohio About 1,200 people were vaccinated last week at a shuttered Sears store in Belmont County, Ohio, but not all of them were Ohio residents.
What You Need To Know
Residents who are not yet eligible in Pennsylvania are seeking vaccines in Ohio
For the next few weeks, there is expected to be high demand from Ohio residents for vaccines
Some counties in rural parts of the state have more availabile appointments
Belmont County Deputy Health Commissioner Robert Sproul said 100 to 150 of the people they vaccinated were Pennsylvania residents who crossed state lines for the shots.
PA Health Dept spotlights improved vaccine provider online maps wtae.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from wtae.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Leighann Bacher has seen that Vaccinate Pittsburgh, a Facebook page she co-founded, has primarily drawn people over the age of 65.
A mother of two children, Bacher connected with another mom, Heather Lucci, in southwest Pennsylvania to create their group, after they had both found challenges getting vaccinations for themselves and family members. We started Jan. 31, and it just kind of exploded from there, Bacher said. They have a little more than 30,000 members now.
How does this work?
About 100 volunteers make the machines run at VaccinatePA.
They connect with the 1,100 or so pharmacies in the state offering the vaccinations, cycling through those sites every few days, constantly updating the website with the latest appointment availability.
How PA volunteers are helping people find coronavirus vaccinations ydr.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from ydr.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.