Butler Health System has administered 1,500 to 1,600 COVID-19 vaccinations per day since vaccine distribution began three months ago, despite unpredictable shipments of vaccine.

The Pennsylvania Department of Health has heard the concerns of BHS and other heath systems and hospitals across the state about difficulties in scheduling vaccination appointments without knowing how much vaccine they will receive, and is beginning to take action, said Matt Schnur, BHS pharmacy director.

The health department took action Friday by including the health system in a temporary “focused” group of 200 to 300 vaccine providers across the state that will receive more first doses of vaccine and will be assured of a steady supply for the next several weeks beginning March 22.

The process to select the focused providers took into account the ability to administer a high volume of first doses within seven days of delivery while maintaining equity across racial, ethnic and socioeconomic lines as well as the ability to capture and report vaccine administration data within 24 hours.

As of Wednesday, a total of 37,782 vaccinations have been administered at Butler Memorial Hospital and Clarion Hospital, Schnur said.

“I know that's something that a lot of people in the health system are proud of. It's a significant number in my opinion,” Schnur said.

Since receiving its first shipment of vaccine Dec. 17, BHS has received a total of 66,690 doses of the vaccine. But the allocation of vaccine in the shipments isn't known until it arrives, making it difficult for the health system to schedule appointments, he said.

Large shipments received some weeks allow the health systems to open many slots on the vaccination schedule, but some shipments contain only a fraction of the vaccine compared to the larger shipments, he said.

“The predictability has been one of the major pieces that has been lacking to date. Once we see that, it will help us deliver as many vaccines into as many arms as possible,” Schnur said.

He said the health department is in the process of implementing a plan for more consistent allocations, he said.

The single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine is being administered almost exclusively to school staff, he added.

Butler Memorial Hospital operates its vaccination clinic 10 hours a day in two rooms staffed by 20 to 25 employees.

That number doesn't include other staff like pharmacy department employees who inventory the vaccine in ultracold freezers and makes sure enough is thawed, he said.

Support staff prepares each vaccination. Other employees work on scheduling appointments, gathering information from patients and manually logging the date of each vaccination into the health department portal, he said.

“It involves a lot of work other than just giving vaccinations. A lot of people throughout the health system have been doing a good job for three months,” Schnur said. “Especially for a community hospital and health system, it's something a lot of us are proud of.”

He believes everybody who is eligible to get vaccinated should do so.

“That's how we can turn the tide on the pandemic. If you are eligible, we would encourage you to sign up and get vaccinated. Even though there are less cases than we had a few months ago, this is not the time to take your foot off the gas,” Schnur said.