750 COVID-19 vaccine appointments in Monroeville to be made available at noon today – WTAE Pittsburgh

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— COUNTY OFFICIALS JUST ADRESSED THIS? REPORTER THEY DID. THE GOOD NEWS TH FAR IS THAT THERE ARE SIGNS ALBEIT SMALL, THAT SUPPLIES COULD BE INCREASING. RITE AIDS AND GIANT EAGLES THA DO VACCINATIONS WILL BE GETTING MORE DOSES NEXT WEEK. BUT IT’S ALL RELATIVE. EACH GIANT EAGLE AND RITE AID DOING VACCINATIONS IN OUR AREA ONLY GOT 100 DOSES EACH, ACCORDING TO STATE DATA. THE BIG THRU-LINE REMAINS, THE NUMBER OF DOSES JUST ISN’T THERE. STATE AND LOCAL OFFICIALS ARE HOPEFUL THAT PRODUCTION WILL CONTINUE RAMPING UP, THAT ADDITIONAL VACCINES COULD POTENTIALLY BE APPROVE INCLUDING THE JOHNSON AN JOHNSON VACCIN THAT SAID, PROBLEMS WITH DISTRIBUTION STILL REMAIN, OFFICIALS LARGELY BLAMING SHORT SUPPLY AND NO FORECAST OF DOSES COMING IN, WHICH MAKES IT TOUGHER TO PLAN. STATE HEALTH DEPARTMENT SAYS, MORE THAN ANYTHING, PLANNING IS ONGOING TO TRY AND ENSURE THINGS GO SMOOTHLY ONCE MORE DOSES ARE AVAILABL >> THE PLANS MOVING FORWARD ARE REALLY TO COLLABORATE WITH OUR PARTNERSHIPS, BOTH IN THE RETAIL PHARMACY SPACE, BUT ALSO WITH OUR COMMUNITY PARTNERS BOTH FEDERALLY QUALIFIED HEALTH SYSTEMS, HOSPITALS, ETCETERA, TO REALLY THINK THROUGH THE VACCINE DISTRIBUTION. REPORTER: WANT TO WALK YOU THROUGH SOME QUICK BACK OF THE-ENVELOPE MATH. ABOUT A MILLION PEOPLE HAVE BEEN DISTRIBUTED IN PENNSYLVANIA. EIGHT MILLION DOSES ARE REQUIRED TO VACCINATE EVERYONE IN GROUP 1A. WE’RE ABOUT SEVEN WEEKS INTO TH — INTO THIS. AT THIS RATE, THEY WOULDN’T FINISH 1A UNTIL THE SUMMER, BUT OFFICIALS ARE OPTIMISTIC THAT WILL NOT HAPPEN. HOPEFUL THAT MORE DOSES WILL CONTINUE COMING INTO THE STATE AND GETTING INTO FOLKS A