As the pace of covid-19 vaccinations continues to accelerate in Pennsylvania, state officials have turned their attention to people who are unable to leave their homes.

“Now we’re at the point where supply is coming close to demand,” Gov. Tom Wolf said Monday during a news conference in Reading. “We need to go out affirmatively, reach out to people – people who are having a tough time getting to a place where they can get the vaccine – and do what we need to do to get vaccine into that arm.”

Wolf said there’s a statewide effort to work with local Area Agencies on Aging to reach people who aren’t already on the state’s radar – those who don’t receive services or benefits from the Department of Aging or Department of Human Services.

It’s a population that can be hard to identify, he said, and it’s one that has suffered particularly from the isolation wrought by the covid-19 pandemic.

“Simple activities we take for granted, like getting food, household necessities and medical care, became even more difficult to accomplish,” said state Sen. Judy Schwank, D-Berks County. “Getting covid-19 vaccines has added an additional layer of anxiety for homebound people, especially seniors, who desperately want to be vaccinated but can’t leave their homes.”

Acting Secretary of Health Alison Beam amended a standing state order to allow Area Agencies on Aging to reach out to a wider pool of vulnerable Pennsylvanians.

Acting Secretary of Human Services Meg Snead said the state’s partnerships with local-level agencies help expand reach.

“These partnerships break down barriers for seniors, adults with disabilities and others in our medical assistance system who are high-risk and cannot leave their homes,” she said, noting that many who fall into that category are also lower income or people of color.

The direct outreach, Snead said, will save lives.

The state is working with housing associations, nursing organizations, federal health centers and other community groups like Meals on Wheels to identify those who can’t leave home and want to be vaccinated.

In Allegheny County, Director of Health Dr. Debra Bogen said she agrees with Wolf’s push to remove any and all barriers to the vaccine. She noted that the now-lifted pause on administering the Johnson & Johnson vaccine was “a step back,” as those doses were being allocated specifically for hard-to-reach populations — including homebound individuals.

“That’s been my goal all along,” she said of reaching all in the county who want to be vaccinated. “But the increase in supply now makes this achievable.”

Bogen said the health department has been working since vaccinations began to identify and reach out to those who can’t leave their home, including going into senior living facilities and, on occasion, vaccinating seniors right in their apartments.

She said the health department has also worked to get vaccines into the hands of some EMS providers in the county so EMTs and paramedics can take the vaccines directly to those in the community who are homebound.

Similar tactics are being used in Westmoreland County, where EMS providers are working with Excela Health and the United Way to reach those unable to leave home. A list of those who want to be vaccinated was in the works earlier this month, which Roland “Bud” Mertz, director of public safety, called “a tremendous community effort.”

United Way Westmoreland Region Director Alyssa Cholodofsky said the potential for illness from covid-19 in a homebound person is a big concern for their families and loved ones. In such a home, there are typically multiple caretakers coming in and out and getting out to a vaccine clinic would be a burden.

“Those folks likely are very vulnerable to the negative effects of covid-19,” said Excela Chief Medical Officer Dr. Carol Fox. “It would be very difficult for them to be hospitalized.”

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