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HERSHEY, Pa .– Acting Pennsylvania Health Secretary Alison Beam on Tuesday signed an order to ensure vaccine suppliers are ready to begin COVID-19 booster shots as soon as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will issue the necessary federal guidelines, according to a press release from the state Department of Health.
The Ministry of Health ordinance requires vaccine providers to provide online scheduling of immunization appointments and provide a phone number, with prompts to a live agent during regular business hours, to help with schedule appointments.
Providers will also be required to offer walk-in appointments and work with local regional aging agencies and health-care-managed care organizations to help plan eligible adults and those not. cannot leave their home.
“Pennsylvania is well prepared to begin providing vaccine recalls as soon as the CDC provides approval and guidance on who can get it,” Beam said at a press conference at the Hershey Pharmacy Tuesday.
“Vaccine suppliers – especially pharmacies – have already done a tremendous job administering over 12 million vaccines across the state. Now they are ready to give people booster shots as quickly and efficiently as possible. “
The CDC’s advisory committee on immunization practices is scheduled to discuss the recalls on Wednesday and Thursday and is expected to make recommendations and provide advice to vaccine suppliers after the meeting.
The state health department says there are currently more than 2,000 vaccine vendors across the state with a COVID-19 vaccine inventory. To date, vaccine suppliers have administered 12.6 million total doses of vaccine. More than 6.1 million Pennsylvanians are fully vaccinated, with a seven-day moving average of more than 15,600 people per day vaccinated, according to the state Department of Health.
Last week, the Pennsylvania Department of Health announced that, since January 2021, 97% of COVID-19-related deaths and 95% of reported COVID-19 hospitalizations were in people who were unvaccinated or not fully vaccinated.
“COVID-19 vaccines work,” said Chuck Kray, owner of Hershey Pharmacy and pharmacist. “They are safe and very effective in preventing serious illness. We are seeing the highly contagious Delta variant and it is skyrocketing the number of cases across our region. Receiving the vaccines and the booster will not only protect you, but also your loved ones during this peak. “
“The data clearly indicates that COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective in preventing hospitalizations and deaths,” Acting General Surgeon Dr Denise Johnson said. “We continue to urge everyone who is eligible to get the vaccine, not only for themselves, but to protect their families and loved ones, especially children under 12 who are too young to receive the vaccine, which is abundant throughout the state. “
To find a vaccine supplier, people can visit vaccines.gov.
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