County Will Have Capacity To Vaccinate 15,000 Per Week, But Lacks Supply

Bucks County government has hired the Virginia firm that ran its January COVID-19 testing clinics to operate up to six mass-inoculation sites.

The Bucks County Commissioners approved a $14 million contract with AMI Expeditionary Healthcare Wednesday to operate up to six vaccination clinics through the end of April. Three of the locations will be at Bucks County Community College’s campuses, including the one in Bristol Township.

The big problem is that there is limited vaccine supply for the sites, which can vaccinate up to 15,000 people per week once opened.

“Shot availability and clinic kickoff dates remain uncertain, however, as low vaccine supply continues to hinder rollout plans,” the county said in a statement.

“We would be vaccinating everybody right now,” said Commissioners’ Chairperson Diane Ellis-Marseglia. “We are ready to go. We have the staff. We have AMI. The issue is we do not have the vaccine.”

“None of us like this because it sounds like we’re kicking the can down the lane or passing the buck, but we really don’t control any of this,” Commissioners Vice Chairperson Bob Harvie said. “This is the worst pandemic in a hundred years, and the largest vaccination program in human history. Period.”

Audrey Kenny, the interim emergency management director for the county, said AMI Expeditionary Healthcare is working to prepare the vaccination clinics.

Currently, vaccines are produced and sent to the federal government before being supplied to the states and then local governments. Pharmacies and hospitals have been getting their own doses of COVID-19 vaccines through the state and federal governments.

“We are ready to go. We are waiting for the state, and the state is waiting for the federal government,” Commissioner Gene DiGirolamo said.

County officials said they have received word that vaccine supplies should start to grow in the coming weeks. President Joe Biden has vowed to distribute 100 million vaccine doses in his first 100 days in office.

See The State’s Multi-Phase Vaccination Plan

For the past few weeks, the Bucks County Health Department has been vaccinate Phase 1A health care and emergency medical service crews at an appointment-only clinic in Middletown Township. This week, the health department site began administering second doses, county officials said.

The county’s COVID-19 vaccination plan calls for deploying two mobile strike team to administer up to 150 doses of vaccine per day.

As of Wednesday, Pennsylvania Department of Health data showed 27,335 partial vaccinations in Bucks County and 8,996 full vaccinations completed. State officials have noted that the data might be a few days delayed.

Data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lists Pennsylvania as vaccinating 917,000 people.

Pennsylvania Department of Health Senior Adviser Lindsey Mauldin said during a hearing in Harrisburg Wednesday that the state is not receiving enough notice from the federal government to better plan vaccine distribution.

The Biden administration has said they plan to give state’s more notice on vaccine distribution.

WPXI-TV reported that during a news conference Maudlin did not give a specific timeline of when the general population could be vaccinated in the Keystone State.

“As we look ahead to the future, we are focused right now getting through Phase 1A, and that is where we are currently looking,” she said.

Bucks County officials reported close to 200,000 people pre-registered through the health department for vaccination. The number does not include those who registered through other providers, like St. Mary Medical Center.

Registration on the county website remains open and only applies to county-run vaccination sites.

Since the pandemic began, Bucks County has seen 40,698 COVID-19 infections and 1,042 deaths.

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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