Gov. Tom Wolf: State On Track To Get Vaccine To Every Pennsylvanian By End Of April
HARRISBURG (KDKA) - While our neighboring states are lowering their COVID19 eligibility requirements, Gov. Tom Wolf says the state will be wrapping up the so-called 1A eligibility group Wednesday.
And answering critics, the governor is predicting most everyone in the state will be able to get the vaccine in the coming weeks.
Despite the voice of critics, Wolf says the state is on pace to get a shot in the arm of every Pennsylvanian who wants one by the end of April.
"Our goal is to administer the vaccine as quickly, as fairly and as ethically as possible," said Wolf.
In the face of criticism, Governor Wolf defended the state's rollout of the vaccine. Touring a vaccination site in Dauphin County Tuesday, he said the state is on pace to get a vaccine in arms of most everyone who wants one by the end of April.
"My back of the envelope, Excel spreadsheet calculation is by the end of April, early May, we should at that point have enough vaccines to come through the system to satisfy everyone who at least wants the first vaccine," he said.
After a slow initial rollout, Pennsylvania is improving, having administered over 5 million doses, which the Governor notes is among the highest in the nation.
We're now 22nd in the nation with 81 percent of our allotted doses administered, and 12th with 31 percent of the population having received at least one dose.
And while other states have dropped their age and eligibility requirements, Wolf says we have stayed in group 1A because we have an older population over 65.
"Pennsylvania is one of the more senior states, so when you make such a big proportion of your 1A population your priority population, folks 65 and older, well, Pennsylvania has a big chunk of those," Wolf said.
Wolf says everyone in 1A should have had at least one dose or have been scheduled for at least one dose by Wednesday but did not commit to when he'll be reducing the threshold for everyone else.
"We're talking about that now -- how we want to move through and beyond where we are right now," he said.
The governor remained noncommittal on just when we'll be moving to 1B and the other eligibility groups but indicated he will be announcing that shortly.
COVID-19 task force member Washington County state Rep. Tim O'Neal says an announcement on moving out of 1A will be coming from the governor tomorrow.
"That was part of the discussion we had today, and I don't want to jump the gun on the announcement, but that exact plan on when we're moving into what phase will be announced tomorrow," O'Neal said.
