Blair safety director says patience required

Information on COVID-19 vaccine distribution forthcoming

HOLLIDAYSBURG -- Blair County's public safety director is urging people to be patient while awaiting information on the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines.

In a presentation Tuesday for county commissioners, Director of Public Safety Mark Taylor referenced vaccination efforts that began last week and continue to evolve. As for the future, Taylor said he reached out to some of his state-level contacts for more information, but didn't learn anything new.

"Understand this is a huge process and a lot of plans are changing daily," Taylor said.

The state Department of Health last week moved ahead with its COVID-19 Interim Vaccination Plan with the distribution of vaccines to health care facilities for their front-line staffers caring for those with COVID-19 conditions.

Taylor said Tuesday that residents of long-term facilities in Blair County are scheduled to be vaccinated beginning Jan. 2, based on contracts the state holds with CVS and Walgreens.

As for the timeframe addressing when others can be vaccinated, Taylor recommended paying attention to information being generated by the state Department of Health.

"We just have to be patient," he said.

The public safety director told commissioners that during the past week, Blair County had 856 new COVID-19 cases, but that was 187 fewer than recorded the previous week. Taylor also said that as of Tuesday morning, local hospitals were reporting a drop in COVID-19 patients.

"It appears we have survived the Thanksgiving surge," Taylor said.

COVID-19 outbreaks remain a concern for local nursing homes, but they report improvements, Taylor said.

At the Blair County Prison, Taylor said the number of cases remains high but the facility seems to be managing well.

The prison, currently with 220 inmates, has set up two housing units for inmates who are considered to be recovered from COVID-19, Warden Abbie Tate said Tuesday. As of Tuesday, those units housed a combined 74 inmates, Tate said. They make up a portion of the facility's 180 inmates who have tested positive for COVID-19.

The county depends on PrimeCare Medical, a Harrisburg-based company, to provide medical care of inmates, including their COVID-19 conditions.

Mirror Staff Writer Kay Stephens is at 814-946-7456.