Westmoreland commissioners demand increase in covid vaccine deliveries

Westmoreland County’s Republican leaders on Wednesday demanded Pennsylvania Department of Health officials increase the supply of covid-19 vaccines to the county.

In a letter sent to Alison Beam, the state’s acting secretary of health, Commissioners Sean Kertes and Doug Chew called for ‘immediate and substantial adjustments” to the distribution of vaccines, citing a data analysis that found Westmoreland received fewer doses than many smaller counties and was last among counties with similar populations.

“Our constituents deserve an explanation, but most importantly they deserve immediate action not statements promising to look into the matter further at some point in the future. We need more vaccines here and we need them now,” commissioners wrote.

Westmoreland County, the state’s 11th most populous, ranked near the bottom this week — 55th out of Pennsylvania’s 66 counties, not including Philadelphia — in terms of doses allocated by both total residents and seniors citizens who are eligible to receive vaccines. With more than 348,000 residents, including more than 81,000 who are 65 or older, Westmoreland has not received its fair share of vaccines, commissioners contend.

State officials last week conceded to the Tribune-Review that Westmoreland has received fewer vaccine doses than counties of similar size, something they will attempt to increase future supply of doses. Commissioners said they received no direct information from state officials about how vaccines are allocated and the apparent shortfall of doses.

“We just want an explanation,” Chew said.

Commissioners said it is unclear what local vaccine distributors requested from the state. According to state health department officials, as of last week nearly 32,000 vaccine doses were supplied to Westmoreland County since mid-December.

According to statistics posted on the department’s website, as of Wednesday, another 6,700 were delivered to county hospitals and pharmacies so far this week.

Excela Health received 3,000 doses this week, the state said. The Greensburg-based health care systems so far administered a total of about 12,000 doses and is scheduled to give another 7,000 inoculations, spokeswoman Robin Jennings said.

“Each week, Excela requests quantities of vaccine that we believe we are able to safely administer during the seven days following vaccine delivery to Excela,” Jennings wrote.

The state health department did not respond Wednesday to a request for comment.

State Sen. Kim Ward, R-Hempfield, said she was notified by the Department of Health that Westmoreland County’s vaccine supply could be increased next week.

“Depending on the state’s total allocation, the DOH has assured me they will work to increase Westmoreland’s doses next week,” Ward said.

Ward said department officials agreed Westmoreland has received fewer doses than counties with similar population totals but that it has received 24 vaccine doses for every 1,000 residents, a figure that places the county in the top third of all Pennsylvania counties for vaccines administered.

Kertes said there is a growing frustration among elected officials and residents about the state’s vaccine distribution effort.

“Our job is to find solutions and we’re doing what we can to try and solve it,” Kertes said.

Commissioner Gina Cerilli, the board’s lone Democrat, said she was excluded from the Republicans’ call for additional vaccine but supported the demand and would have signed on to it if asked.

She criticized Kertes and Chew for opposing a proposed plan to create a countywide registry of residents who want the vaccine.

“A letter to the Department of Health is great, but it’s minor compared to what my colleagues could be doing for senior citizens with a registry,” Cerilli said. “My colleagues are choosing to send a letter complaining to the state, but refuse to step up and actually lead. My heart breaks for every senior citizen that calls my office crying because they do not know how to get an appointment.”