Gov. Wolf gives update on COVID-19 vaccination efforts across Pa. – WTAE Pittsburgh

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Pennsylvania continues to make good progress with its rollout. Uh, let me just give you a few statistics. As of this morning, Pennsylvania was, uh, at a point where we had 31% of our population got in the first dose. The national average is 29%. I think we we were that made us 13th in the in the country. Among the states, the second dose is the United States averages 16% of Americans have gotten their second dose. Pennsylvania were at that national average 16%. If you look at the 10 most populous states were number one in the country in terms of first doses and we’re tied for second with a bunch of the biggest big states. First number two, uh, we’re at 16%. Michigan is the top of the big states, and they’re at 17% on the Becker survey, which is the percentage of doses administered, we’re at 82% which makes us 21st in the country. So we’re making some some really good progress in getting the vaccine out and what you see behind you behind us here is an example of the great work that people are doing all across the Commonwealth to make sure that we get these shots and people’s arms as quickly as possible. We estimate that were more than three quarters of the way through just R. One a population, and we should be finished with them fairly quickly. We’re nearing completion of our special initiative to vaccine teachers and school staff. We started that a few weeks ago. The goal was to get every teacher from childcare folks all the way up to high school teachers vaccinated. And that’s teachers and public and private schools, teachers, uh, cafeteria workers, janitors, administrative staff, bus drivers, everybody to get our kids back to school. The idea was that by the middle of April, we would have gotten everybody, uh, the vaccines and all those folks arms. It turns out we’re two weeks ahead of schedule. Should be finished. Uh, today or tomorrow on that. So we’re moving forward. Um, and, uh, the organization’s dispensing. Folks who are providing the vaccines are actually finding it that they now have room to to make the appointments, that the waiting lists are actually coming down. So we’re making some good progress, and it’s places like this that really make make the difference? Uh, we anticipate receiving a steady cadence of allocations of all covid 19 vaccines from the federal government. And I got to say the feds have done a nice job of keeping good supply. Uh, not only steady, but increasing dramatically every every week. And we’re hopeful that that’s going to continue in the coming weeks. And given the comments that the president has been making that that actually is, uh something that we’re pretty sure is going to happen. As the supply grows, Pennsylvania will continue to enact a multi pronged approach to distributing vaccine throughout the Commonwealth. Again, our goal is to administer vaccine is quickly as fairly and ethically as we possibly can. We know that different populations face unique challenges when it comes to assessing getting access to the vaccine. And we’re gonna strive to finish vaccinating our phase one population again, uh, within the next few days. Again, the idea was to have everybody in one a have at least one shot. And if not, the one shot an appointment within a reasonable period of time, like a week or two, uh, by tomorrow. And I think we’re on scheduled to do that, we need to use a variety of approaches to ensure that all Pennsylvania’s can get the vaccine. And that means we have to work with local providers like the federally qualified health center I visited last week up in Scranton. They can do intensive outreach to vulnerable populations and communities where we really need to make affirmative steps, take affirmative steps to make sure that we’re reaching everybody. But it also means working with mass vaccination sites like this that have the resources and the tools and the personnel to vaccinate a large number of Pennsylvania’s very quickly. And that’s exactly what the Dolphin County Mass vaccination site has done here at the Harrisburg area Community College. If that’s the name of and, uh, the vaccination clinic is set up as an easily accessible location and just talking to some of the folks here, I think they really like the the fact that it is convenient. Uh, this clinic has the benefit of being a drive through site so you can make your appointment here. You can drive up. You can check in, get your shot, wait out way over there for 15 minutes. Uh, you can do all that in the car. And that’s for Pennsylvanians who can drive themselves if you can’t drive. Capital area transit buses are available to shuttle people in and out of this place, so I think they’re covering as many bases as they possibly can. And I want to thank the dedicated staff, some of whom I’ve met here with the folks who are working here. And I want to thank everybody who had a hand in getting this site up and running, which really goes back to the late summer of 2020 when they started planning for this. Their efforts to protect our fellow Pennsylvanians are saving lives, and they’re making communities like this safer, large capacity sites like this one at Hack. It’s just another great tool in our toolbox as we work hard to make sure that every Pennsylvania, no matter who they are, where they’re from, get vaccinated as quickly as possible. Obviously, as more vaccines become available as the supply starts to meet the demand and that’s coming, then we’re going to do a better job here. But in the meantime, we will do everything we can to make sure everybody in Pennsylvania gets the vaccine as quickly and as fairly as we possibly can. That’s that’s our goal