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Allegheny Health Network has suspended scheduling appointments for the covid-19 vaccine due to a supply issue, hospital officials said on Friday, as other health systems in the region faced increased demand for vaccines.
Excela Health officials said they could not expand vaccine distribution to people who are not health workers.
AHN has administered around 35,000 doses since mid-December and has scheduled an additional 26,000 with its current vaccine supply. For now, executives said, the entire network supply has been allocated and cannot accommodate additional appointments at this time.
“Right now,” a post on the network’s website read, “AHN has scheduled the distribution of all of our available covid-19 vaccines, and we have temporarily disabled our planning portal.”
The post explains that the network plans to receive more doses in the “near future” and is in the process of moving to a new web portal for planning.
The network’s revelation comes just days after health officials in Pennsylvania expanded vaccine eligibility in Phase 1A to include people over 65 and those aged 16 to 64 with certain conditions underlying health conditions including cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, diabetes and many more.
Since the state’s announcement on Tuesday, hospital leaders in several systems in the region have spoken out that the state’s supply cannot match such a large expansion. During this time, the systems receive thousands of emails and calls from new eligible.
AHN quickly released a statement on Tuesday explaining that the network would expand eligibility only to people over the age of 75 and those who had received cancer treatment in the past year.
Friday’s announcement appears to be another measure to manage the network’s available supply.
“We understand the public’s concern and frustration with the limited availability of the vaccine and appreciate everyone’s patience as we work hard to distribute the vaccine as quickly and efficiently as possible when we have it to those who have it. no longer needed, ”officials said in a statement. .
The AHN is not the only health system in the region struggling with an influx of people hoping to be vaccinated now that eligibility has broadened.
The UPMC also does not schedule vaccinations for doses it does not have, a spokeswoman said. The process involves collecting immunization requests, as well as information to determine where the applicants fall in phase 1A eligibility.
“We then reach out to those who are the highest priority in our prioritization and schedule them for vaccination with the stock we already have or have learned we will receive,” said spokesperson Taylor Andres. “We have found that this process best manages the expectations of the community and alleviates disappointment because we do not have to cancel already scheduled vaccinations.”
In Westmoreland County, Excela Health is designing a new approach to take in new patients and determine vaccine eligibility. But for now, the number of health workers needing vaccines has “exceeded” the vaccine supply.
“At this time, we are unable to offer the vaccine to other people,” said Chief Medical Officer Carol Fox. “We are investigating possible options for additional distribution sites and how best to determine the underlying conditions. There are a lot of logistics to work with, and it all depends on our ability to receive vaccines from the state.
Teghan Simonton is a staff writer for Tribune-Review. You can contact Teghan at 724-226-4680, [email protected] or via Twitter .
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