By Elizabeth Hardison | Pennsylvania Capital-Star
As many as 100,000 Pennsylvanians receiving the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine could have their injections pushed back over the next two weeks, the Department of Health announced Wednesday, as the agency revealed that errors in managing Moderna inventory have led to a shortage of second-dose shots.
Advertisements
Acting Health Secretary Alison Beam said that vaccine providers have been inadvertently administering first-dose Moderna injections that were supposed to be set aside as second doses.
As a result, the state has seen demand for Moderna vaccines outstrip supply: people trying to complete their vaccine sequence have claimed nearly all the 200,000 Moderna vaccines the state was allocated this week.
Beam said the supply issue started in January and compounded “week over week” until it got so significant that the Pennsylvania arDepartment of Health had to publicly address it Wednesday.
Advertisements
As many as 60,000 people seeking their second Moderna vaccination could see their appointments rescheduled over the next two weeks, Beam said. Another 55,000 people who expected to receive their first Moderna injection may have to wait, too.
Beam said second-dose shots could be delayed without affecting the vaccine’s efficacy.
Advertisements
The issue has not affected the state’s supply of Pfizer doses, so no patients receiving that vaccine will have their appointments pushed back.
Pennsylvania has enlisted more than 1,700 pharmacies and medical practices to administer COVID-19 vaccines, though the state said last week it will start to weed out providers that don’t move vaccine inventory quickly enough.
Each provider has its own method for booking and rescheduling appointments. Beam said the Department of Health will work with providers this week to ensure that patients whose appointments are delayed will be able to get their second shot at the same location where they got their first.
Advertisements
“It will likely take this week, next week and the following week to put us on a more stable ground,” Beam said. “But we are doing this all in an effort for a more transparent and predictable stable state.”
However, Beam declined on Wednesday to name the providers who mismanaged their inventory.
Advertisements
The Department of Health also declined to answer a question from a reporter asking if the agency had contributed to the mix-up by encouraging providers not to set aside certain doses to complete vaccine regimens.
Department of Health officials told state senators at a Feb. 4 public hearing that they were instructing providers not to set aside doses, since the agency would work with them to account for second dose needs in future allocations.
Advertisements
“They are to administer those doses, and not to worry to hold anything back because we will work with them on our end to make sure that a second dose is available,” deputy secretary of Health Cindy Findley told members of the Senate Health and Human Services and Aging and Youth Committees.
Beam said at the same hearing that one of her top priorities coming into her new post was to assure patients and providers they would receive the second doses they needed to complete an injection sequence.
Advertisements
“Not only do providers need to know that second doses are secure, patients need to know that second doses are secure,” Beam said. “As a provider, there is absolutely no reason you need to save a second dose in your freezer.”
Report a correction via email | Editorial standards and policies
