PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Pennsylvania will open COVID-19 vaccine eligibility to everyone ages 16 and up on Tuesday. The Pennsylvania Department of Health is hoping to maintain momentum.
In a communication from the health department to the COVID-19 vaccine provide network, officials cited vaccine hesitancy in the midst of rising case numbers and hospitalizations as a primary concern.
"Hesitancy is a growing concern for us in the race of the vaccines vs. the variants. We need to maintain the maximum acceleration of the vaccine rollout, particularly as we one again witness a growing case count and hospitalization rate. We believe expanding eligibility is the best way to reach our goal of vaccinating Pennsylvanians as quickly and equitably as possible.
"Therefore, effective Tuesday, April 13, Pennsylvania will open vaccine eligibility for everyone 16 and older, universal adult eligibility, for the COVID-19 vaccine."
The plan was for everyone 16 and up in Pennsylvania to be eligible next Monday, April 19. But the health department is saying they will make the move one day after about 1.5 million people in 1c became eligible.
That’s compared to the nearly 4 million who were in phase 1a, and around a million who were in phase 1b.
Essential workers in 1c include those in food service, construction, IT, banking and media.
Last week, state officials said they didn’t expect there would too much of an additional logjam in trying to schedule appointments, as the amount of vaccine coming in to the state is expected to increase.
Health officials from southeastern Pennsylvania have urged patience as more people become eligible, noting eligibility does not always equal availability. Plus, shipments of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine are being cut considerably to around 5,000 doses per Pennsylvania county this week, an 88% drop from last week, and that may cause some issues.
Providers generally view the move as a positive.
The transitional age is 16, because Pfizer's clinical trials were on people 16 and older. Moderna and Johnson & Johnson conducted trials on people ages 18 and up.
Philadelphia, which distributes its vaccine supply separately from the rest of the state, started its Phase 1c last week with sanitation, maintenance and janitorial utility and postal workers, makes the entire group eligible on Monday.
• Higher education
• Finance
• Transportation
• Construction and landscaping
• IT and telecommunications
• Media
• Public health
• Government
• Election Board workers
• Social Services
• Legal
• Unpaid caregivers of people who are medically vulnerable
Philadelphia is not expected to open universal eligibility to everyone over age 16 until next Monday, April 19, along with New Jersey.
Chester County is already ahead. The county health department announced late last week that anyone 16 and above would be eligible to sign up for an appointment immediately. The state of Delaware opened up eligibility on April 6.