PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Hospitals in the Philadelphia area are hopeful they’ll get the first round of vaccines as early as next week.
Beth Duffy, president and CEO of Einstein Medical Center in Montgomery County, said they’ve been told they could be getting the vaccine as early as next week.
But there are still a lot of questions about not only the timeline, but also how much they’ll get. When they get it, they’ll follow CDC and Pennsylvania Department of Health guidelines, which means front-line health care workers are up first.
The same goes for Main Line Health interim chief medical officer John Stallkamp.
“The state will let us know and give us a heads up that it’s in shipment, so we should be waiting and ready for it, and as soon as that’s ready we’ll be notifying our staff members,” Stallkamp said.
Both say they will not require their staff to get the vaccine, but they’ve heard a majority of their employees want to get it.
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According to the state Department of Health, after health care workers and long-term care facility staff get the vaccine, vulnerable populations will be up next, followed by the general public.
But health officials say no matter what the timeline is, safety measures such as mask-wearing and staying 6 feet apart will have to continue well into the new year.