More residents, staff of long-term care receive vaccine

More than 194,000 covid-19 partial vaccinations have been administered in Pennsylvania, the state’s dashboard showed Friday — and more than 42,000 of them were in the 11-county Western Pennsylvania region.

But tracking distribution to long-term care facilities is a challenge.

“Allotments are being determined by the CDC and Operation Warp Speed,” state Health Secretary Rachel Levine said during a virtual news briefing Thursday. “Particularly for this Walgreens/CVS/long-term care mission, they determine specifically where they’re going to go every week when they get their allotment from the federal government. So we have no way of putting that up on a website.”

Levine said that a number of nursing homes opted out of the Federal Pharmacy Partnership and planned to obtain vaccine through the state Health Department. She said the Health Department convinced the majority of them to opt back in, however.

“It is, by far, the most efficient way to get vaccine to the patients and staff in nursing homes,” she said of the federal program.

Nationwide, according to the American Health Care Association and the National Center for Assisted Living, 33,000 clinics have been scheduled for their first doses — 9,300 of which have already been completed. All told, more than 600,000 doses have been administered in long-term care across the U.S.

In Western Pennsylvania, several skilled nursing facilities in recent weeks have indicated they have started immunizing residents and employees who have opted to receive the vaccine, while some are still waiting patiently.

John Dickson, president and CEO of Redstone Highlands, a long-term care chain with locations in Greensburg, Murrysville and North Huntingdon, said the Greensburg facility will receive its first doses on Monday. The chain hasn’t gotten word from the federal program yet on its other two locations.

“There are always little bumps,” Dickson said. “I think people get anxious in regards to the ‘Now! Now!’ format. I think everyone is doing the best they can do, and I think we just have to be thankful there’s a vaccine out there.”

Dickson said enthusiasm for the vaccine is high among residents and staff at Redstone Highlands. More than 80% have opted to be immunized starting Monday, he said.

First doses at Kane nursing homes

Dennis Biondo, director of Allegheny County’s Kane Community Living Centers on Friday reported that 560 people in two facilities had received their first doses through CVS Pharmacy — and two more facilities had received their first clinic dates.

There were 271 residents vaccinated this week at the Kane facilities in Glen Hazel and Ross, representing 90% of all residents in the two locations, along with 253 employees (65% of the workforce) and 36 contractors and outside service providers.

CVS clinicians will return to the Ross facility Jan. 25-26, and to the Glen Hazel facility Jan. 26-27 to administer the booster shots. A third clinic has also been scheduled at both locations Feb. 15-16 for employees who were not vaccinated this time.

Meanwhile, the first clinics for Kane’s McKeesport and Scott facilities will be held this Saturday and Sunday, Jan. 9-10. The second series will be administered Jan. 30-31.

Pennsylvania officials continue to retool the state’s vaccination plan to fall in line with recommendations from federal groups and further define who can get the vaccine and when, releasing the fourth iteration of plan on Friday afternoon.