covid-19-vaccine
More than half of Pa. counties seeing substantial, high rates of community spread of COVID-19
COVID-19 case counts have been climbing steadily in the commonwealth since late July, following national trends.
State hospital, prison employees must be vaccinated or face weekly COVID tests under new policy
Starting Sept. 7, if workers in these facilities do not get vaccinated, they must take weekly tests for the virus. The tests will be at no cost to the employee, and will mostly take place on site, the administration said.
Wolf vetoes bill banning Pa. primary schools, colleges from requiring COVID vaccines
The bill also would prevent any public entity from checking someone’s COVID-19 vaccination status, such as a school district requiring teachers or students to be vaccinated. Such requirements are colloquially known as “vaccine passports.”
They’re ‘unsung heroes’: Pa. officials pay tribute to farm workers who kept food on the table during pandemic
The employer-sponsored mobile vaccination site at the mushroom farm is the result of a partnership between the Pennsylvania Department of Health, Latino Connection and Highmark Blue Shield, which aims to reach the commonwealth’s diverse and underserved populations.
Pa. doctors could be punished for rejecting vaccine-skeptical parents under advancing House legislation
(*This story was updated at 4:40 p.m. with comment from the Hospital and Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania) Doctors could be punished for refusing to see children whose parents reject the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention vaccinations standards under a bill passed by a Republican-controlled Pennsylvania House panel Wednesday morning. In a party line 15-10 […]
New initiative aims to give Pennsylvanians with intellectual, development disabilities greater vaccines access
On a call with reporters Tuesday, state officials announced the partnership between Rite Aid pharmacies statewide and the Department of Human Services Office of Developmental Programs (ODP).
Allentown’s Bradbury-Sullivan LGBTQ Community Center provides comfort via pop-up vaccine clinics
More and more LGBT community centers are holding vaccine clinics to get shots into the arms of people in marginalized communities.
With an eye toward improving vaccine equity, Pa. Health Dept. rolls out expanded vaccine demographic data
The update, announced last week, follows the Pennsylvania Department of Health’s push to make the commonwealth’s vaccination efforts more equitable. Acting state Health Secretary Alison Beam said it will help the department monitor the progress of “equitable distribution” across the commonwealth.
Amended health order aims to get vaccines to homebound Pennsylvanians
During an appearance in Reading on Monday morning, Wolf, joined by administration officials and local lawmakers, said the administration had amended its vaccine administration order to allow vaccine providers to partner with local entities to administer vaccines statewide.
Pa. extends Johnson & Johnson vaccine pause after Pa. woman, five others experience blood clots
The halt was first announced Tuesday, after federal health officials recommended states stop administering the vaccine until the Centers for Disease Control and Food and Drug Administration could review six reports of blood clots in vaccine recipients, all of whom identified as women.
Uber, PayPal, other big companies offer vaccine transportation help
The Vaccine Access Fund will be managed by Local Initiatives Support Corporation, a national nonprofit community development organization.
Pa. joins national pause on Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine
(*This story was updated at 3:20 p.m. on Tuesday, 4/13/21 with new information from the Department of Health.) Matching a federal order that came down Tuesday, Pennsylvania has paused the use of Johnson & Johnson’s one-shot COVID-19 vaccination until at least April 20, pending a review by the Food and Drug Administration. Federal regulators recommended […]