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State Department of Health officials are defending themselves against what they contend is the unfair perception created by Pennsylvania's low ranking in its percentage of COVID-19 vaccination doses administered, compared to what the state has received from the federal government.
The low ranking is largely the result of the state's policy of withholding second doses, to ensure they're available when the time comes -- coupled with providers who are also doing that, despite the department's plea to stop, officials said this week.
Initially, the federal government held back second doses, then changed course, and providers who've been doing it also should change course, because Pennsylvania will assure those second doses will be forthcoming.
It's essential "to put doses into people rather than letting them sit," said senior adviser Lindsey Mauldin during a virtual news conference Friday.
Second doses aside, the state's performance with first doses -- 83% have been administered -- is a better indicator of its overall performance, according to Mauldin.
As an incentive to providers not to withhold second doses to speed up the administration of shots, the department has been identifying those with the biggest volumes and directing more generous allocations to them, said Acting Health Secretary Alison Beam, testifying at a Senate committee hearing Thursday.
The gap between doses received and shots not yet given that has led to Pennsylvania being low on the efficiency chart also reflects the lag between when the state records the doses it gets from Operation Warp Speed and the time providers give those shots, according to department spokeswoman Maggi Barton.
Many people desperate for a vaccination are signing up at multiple locations and getting multiple appointments, which leads to no-shows at the other locations, said Sen. Lisa Baker, R-Luzerne.
Multiple listings create inefficiency and a "logistical struggle," Beam said.
To neutralize the no-show problem and ensure that no doses are wasted, the department has encouraged providers to always have someone next in line who's ready for a shot, Beam said.
Many county-based emergency management organizations, which all cooperate with the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency, can set up and run mass vaccination clinics that could eliminate many of the existing problems, given their expertise in logistics and their familiarity with local conditions, said Sen. Scott Martin, R-Lancaster.
Beam and PEMA Director Randy Padfield have been talking about exactly that sort of thing, Beam told Martin.
"If you guys can find the vaccine, we can get it out," Martin said.
House Republicans Friday passed a bill calling for the administration to use the National Guard to set up and operate regional mass vaccination sites.
The Guard is currently helping the department with long-term care facilities, Mauldin said, not commenting directly on the bill, when asked by a reporter.
Responding to COVID-19 has strained the capabilities of all public health organizations, including the Guard, Mauldin said.