Caution urged as covid vaccines arrive in Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania Health Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine laid out the state’s vaccine distribution progress Monday while updating the public on covid’s mounting toll in the state.

Levine reported 7,745 new covid-19 cases statewide Monday and 7,355 Sunday, bringing the state’s total number of infections to 563,589. There were 57 new deaths reported Monday and 99 Sunday, bringing the state’s death total to 13,981 because of the virus.

There are 6,090 patients hospitalized with covid-19 in Pennsylvania, according to the state’s covid-19 data dashboard. Of those, 1,217 are receiving intensive care and 738 are on ventilators.

“Our hospitals and our health systems continue to be significantly challenged by covid-19,” Levine said, noting the Southwestern region has had persistent issues with staff shortages.

Levine said as of Monday, 17,700 doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine had been administered to health care workers. The state received about 97,500 doses from the federal government last week. Twenty-two more hospitals in the state received an additional 30,225 doses of the vaccine, bringing the total to 109 hospitals that have received vaccine. requirements.”

It will start to distribute the vaccine on Tuesday as outlines in the state’;s interim vaccine distribution plan, the state said.

Among the hospitals that received the Pfizer-BioNTech covid vaccine on Monday Highlands Hospital in Connellsville, St. Clair Memorial Hospital in Upper St. Clair, UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital in Oakland and Washington Hospital in Washington.

In addition, Moderna’s covid-19 vaccine is due to be received by at least 51 hospitals throughout the state this week.

The Department of Health reported 87 hospitals have received the first doses through Dec. 20, “but it will take some time,” Levine said, to continue immunizing health care workers.

Following the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s emergency use authorization of the Moderna vaccine last week, Levine said Pennsylvania is expecting 198,000 doses, which will start arriving this week as well. The state plans to allocate the Moderna vaccine doses to rural hospitals that don’t have the same ultra-cold freezer capacity as other, larger facilities — while the Pfizer vaccine requires a temperature of negative 70 degrees Celsius for storage, the Moderna vaccine requires only negative 20 degrees Celsius, which is more like a regular freezer.

Levine said vaccine administration will begin for residents and employees of long-term care facilities next Monday, Dec. 28. The federal government has partnered with CVS Pharmacy and Walgreens to distribute those doses on-site, using the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine.

Both vaccines will require two doses per person to be fully effective. The federal government has held back half of its doses, Levine said, to ensure everyone who has received their first dose will receive a second.

Levine repeated pleas for the public to follow social distancing and mask wearing guidelines, as well as refrain from gathering during Christmas and the New Year’s holiday.

“As we start the vaccination process, it will still be some months before manufacturers produce enough vaccine to immunize the general public,” she said. “That means that mitigation is more important than ever.”

She noted that no immunizations are 100% effective — making it imperative for even those workers who have received the vaccine to stay cautious until the general public is immunized.

While current mitigation orders — suspending indoor dining at restaurants, indoor services at gyms and high school sports and extracurricular activities — are set to end Jan. 4, Levine said it’s too soon to say whether the current restrictions will be enough to curb the surge, or if more restrictions will be necessary after the holidays.

“If everybody does the right thing, if everybody stands united and continues those mitigation measures and pretty much stays home during the holidays, then things look much more hopeful for January,” Levine said. “If people travel, if they have large and small gatherings, then we’ll be more challenged. So, we’ll see how things go.”