Next Phase Of Vaccine Distribution In Bucks County Likely To Begin Within Weeks

Bucks County officials estimate that the next phase of the COVID-19 vaccination process will begin in February.

While the county is on Phase 1A, which includes health care workers, emergency medical service personnel, pharmacists, and long-term care residents and staff, Phase 1B includes people 75 and older, first responders, food and agricultural workers, grocery store workers, people in congregate living settings, and education workers.

State COVID-19 vaccine data as of this week showed that there have been 10,936 partial inoculations and 1,630 people have received both does of either the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines. State health officials have said the numbers could lag a few days due to slow reporting.

Vaccine distribution began in Pennsylvania only five weeks ago. Statewide, about 311,000 doses have been administered with 30,000 people receiving both doses.

Federal data showed Tuesday night that Pennsylvania was behind 31 other states and territories in vaccines provided per 100,000 residents.

Bucks County long-term care facilities were slated to continue receiving doses through a federal partnership with CVS and Walgreens this week. More facilities in the Levittown-area are expected to begin or continue vaccinations this week.

Starting on Tuesday, the Bucks County Health Department opened an appointment-only clinic for emergency medical personnel and other health care workers who have not yet received vaccine doses at Woods Services in Middletown Township.

On the first day of operation, the staff was able to vaccine 422 emergency medical service and health workers, county officials said.

“These vaccinations mark the start of the final stages in the battle against COVID,” said Dr. David Damsker, who heads the county health department. “Once enough people are vaccinated, we expect to see major changes in the disease morbidity and mortality. Please exercise patience, and over the next couple of months, we hope to help as many people in Bucks County as possible.”

The county plans to increase the number of vaccinations administered in the coming weeks.

The clinic is expected to be open for at least three more weeks, county officials said.

County health workers have prepared for inoculation clinics for years when they administered the flu vaccine to residents. The clinics were often part of training exercises for pandemic and major incident response.

Jefferson Bucks Hospital in Falls Township, Lower Bucks Hospital in Bristol Township, St. Mary Medical Center in Middletown Township, and Woods Services all have received doses of the vaccines and have begun inoculating staff.

Under the state-run vaccination program, which is dependant on how many vaccine doses are produced and shipped, Phase 1C will include all residents age 16 to 74, public safety workers, construction workers, logistics workers, government employees in key agencies, infrastructure workers, media, and bank tellers. Phase 1C is not expected for some time.

Phase 2 is not expected until spring at the soonest and would include the general population, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health.

Pennsylvania Department of Health Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine said that it is acceptable to vaccinate people in Phase 1B if there is no one available from Phase 1A because no vaccine doses should be wasted.

“If any of our providers don’t have someone in 1A but they have someone in 1B, vaccinate them,” she said.

State officials have said that more information on how people in upcoming categories can receive vaccine doses will be released in the future.

Pennsylvanians are not required by the state to receive the vaccine, which has been found to be safe and effective, health officials said.

“Rigorous clinical trials have demonstrated that the COVID vaccines are highly effective and safe,” Dr. Cynthia Chuang, chief of the division of general internal medicine at Penn State
Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, explained during a Tuesday media briefing. “I’m looking forward to when my patients can be offered the vaccine.”

“If you hear a rumor about COVID-19 from a friend, or see something online that concerns you, take a few minutes to verify the information before you get too worried. Five minutes of fact checking can save you and your loved ones a lot of worry,” Gov. Tom Wolf said Tuesday during a press conference on vaccine distribution.

This week, Bucks County opened three free COVID-19 testing sites that will remain in operation through the end of the month. Officials have said the testing sites could become vaccination clinics in the future.

Ways residents can help reduce the spread of COVID-19:

• Wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or use hand sanitizer if soap and water are not available.
• Wear a mask properly when in a business or where it is difficult to maintain proper social distancing.
• Cover any coughs or sneezes with your elbow, not your hands.
• Clean surfaces frequently.
• Stay home to avoid spreading COVID-19, especially if you are unwell.

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