Pennsylvania has hit a big milestone in the COVID-19 vaccine distribution.
Governor Tom Wolf and the state health department announced Tuesday that distributors have administered 2 million doses of the vaccine. Over 315,000 of those doses were administered in 600 skilled nursing facilities that are part of the Federal Pharmacy Partnership Program.
“This is an important milestone for Pennsylvania, and it marks key progress in ensuring that our most vulnerable residents have access to a vaccine,” Gov. Wolf said. “Skilled nursing, personal care, and assisted living facilities have been hit hard by the pandemic, which is why this milestone is such an important one for us to recognize – because it shows how far we have come in protecting our most vulnerable residents.”
The Federal Pharmacy Partnership program paired Pennsylvania with CVS and Walgreens to vaccinate skilled nursing facilities.
Acting Secretary of Health Alison Beam said the plan for long-term care vaccination is not over. “In fact, each facility will have at least three vaccination clinics so we can ensure that as many residents and staff who want to get vaccinated have the opportunity. This way, if someone declined the vaccine in the first or second opportunity, they’ll have another chance.”