Gov. Wolf: Pa. will soon unveil plans to vaccinate older people

Pennsylvania health officials next week will detail their plans to vaccinate older people, Gov. Tom Wolf said.

“We should have something specific next week,” he said regarding plans to vaccinate the 65+ demographic.

Allegheny County health officials said Wednesday that people 75 and older may have to wait longer to get their shots, as the state continued emphasizing vaccinations for health care workers.

Wolf on Thursday acknowledged that he would have liked to see the initial vaccine rollout moving faster. He said the state is at the mercy of the federal government when it comes to receiving vaccine doses.

“I think there were some inevitable hiccups in terms of getting things started. It didn’t get out as fast as any of us would like, but I think we’re making up for that,” he said. “Each day, we do a better and better job here in Pennsylvania.”

Wolf cited the holiday season and “overpromising on the part of the federal government” as reasons for the state’s slow start. Manufacturing and delivering vaccines, he noted, is up to Pfizer, Moderna and the federal government’s Operation Warp Speed.

The commonwealth’s continued vaccination rollout strategy will be in line with the CDC’s guidelines, Wolf said.

“We’re continuing to look for all kinds of ways to get the vaccines out faster,” he said.

Pennsylvania is “pretty much in line with other states in terms of getting vaccines out,” Wolf said. “In terms of the vaccine rollout, the data I’m looking at is that we’re right there with everybody else in the country.”

The Biden administration is poised to continue the large-scale vaccination campaign, Wolf added.

“No one would like to have this happen faster than I,” Wolf said.

Earlier Thursday, officials from the Pittsburgh Pirates said they are meeting with medical partners at Allegheny Health Network and Highmark to possibly use PNC Park as a covid-19 vaccination center.