Those over the age of 65 and anyone 16 and older with certain medical complications will be able to get the coronavirus vaccine sooner, the Pennsylvania Department of Health said Tuesday.
The health department said it is expanding its vaccine distribution to include those over 65 and adults with high-risk conditions. They are now included in Phase 1A of the vaccine rollout, the initial phase of the distribution. So far, distribution has gone primarily to health care workers and residents and staff in nursing homes.
The news comes about a week after the federal government shifted its guidance to states and urged states to begin offering vaccines to all those 65 and over. Last week, Health Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine said the state would be following the federal government’s guidelines.
Those between the ages of 16 and 64 with these high-risk conditions are now eligible to get the vaccine, according to the health department:
- Cancer
- Chronic kidney disease
- COPD
- Down Syndrome
- Heart conditions, such as heart failure, coronary artery disease, or cardiomyopathies
- Immunocompromised state (weakened immune system) from solid organ transplant or from blood or bone marrow transplant, immune deficiencies, HIV, use of corticosteroids, or use of other immune weakening medicines
- Obesity
- Pregnancy
- Smoking
- Type 2 diabetes mellitus
In an interview last week with PennLive’s editorial board, Levine described the state’s plans to speed up the vaccine rollout, saying, “We want to do more and we want to do better.” She said the state will soon be making vaccines available at retail pharmacies and holding what she called “mass vaccination clinics.
Levine told PennLive last week it still may be months before many in the general public get the vaccine. Asked about when she expects vaccines to become available to everyone, Levine said, “It could be by the beginning of summer … but let’s say, optimistically, by the end of spring.”
Gov. Tom Wolf said Tuesday he hopes to name a replacement for Levine later this week. President-elect Joe Biden has chosen Dr. Levine to be his assistant health secretary. She would become the first openly transgender federal official to be confirmed by the U.S. Senate.
Levine has served as Pennsylvania’s health secretary since 2018. Wolf brought Levine into his administration as physician general in 2015.
Wolf lauded Levine for her leadership of the department, particularly during the coronavirus pandemic.
The number of new cases and hospitalizations has been dropping in recent weeks. About 4,600 people with COVID-19 are being treated in hospitals, down from a peak of about 6,300 in December.
More than 777,000 people have contracted the virus and more than 19,000 deaths have been tied to COVID-19, according to the health department.