Site last updated: Thursday, May 21, 2026

Log In

Reset Password
MENU
Butler County's great daily newspaper

State plan for vaccine distribution updated

1st phase now has 3 parts

The Wolf Administration unveiled its new vaccine distribution plan Friday, which rearranged the phases of the plan, and gave examples of who would be in each of them.

“We have updated it to incorporate new information and changing recommendations from our federal partners as well to ensuring the plan is accurate and is as timely as possible,” said Gov. Tom Wolf during a news conference Friday.

This is the administration's fourth version of the distribution plan. The earliest rendition of the plan had three phases with the first phase broken into two parts.

There are still four sections of the plan, but now it has two phases with the first phase broken into three parts.

“This update aligns our plan with the latest recommendations from the advisory committee on immunization practice from the (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention),” said state Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine.

The CDC committee made the changes referenced by Levine on Dec. 22.

Phase 1A, which will include about one million people, looks largely the same, including health care personnel who work at hospitals and residents of long-term care facilities.

Health professionals unaffiliated with the health system have also been moved to Phase 1A after being in Phase 1B of the last plan. This includes EMTs, dentists and school nurses.

The latest update includes all specially considered groups and professionals and filters them into one of the three parts. Among those included are grocery workers, government employees and teachers. Phase 2 will open vaccines to anyone else who wants one.

“To ensure we are getting input from Pennsylvanians on the plan, we have developed an online form for people to submit feedback,” Levine said. “That's available on our website.”

As of Friday, the state has received 827,300 doses of the two approved vaccines. More than 235,000 have been administered to health care personnel and long-term care residents and workers.

Levine said there is a lag in the reporting of administered vaccines of about one day behind for hospitals and three days behind for the federally partnered pharmacies, Walgreens and CVS.

“We expect that more vaccinations have been given, but that's the data we have right now,” Levine said.

Wolf and Levine reiterated that the amount of vaccine distributed is dictated by the federal government's Operation Warp Speed, and urged state residents to be patient. “It will take several months before there is vaccine available for everyone,” Levine said.

Both officials also urged Pennsylvanians to continue mitigation efforts until the nation could be fully vaccinated. Mitigation efforts include wearing a mask, hand washing and distancing from others. “Our recent success in slowing the spread of the virus and the hope we've been given with the introduction of these vaccines should energize all of us to continue to the fight against this disease for the time that remains that we have to deal with this,” Wolf said.

More in Local News

Subscribe to our Daily Newsletter

* indicates required
TODAY'S PHOTOS