Pennsylvania Expands COVID-19 Vaccination Availbility

Pennsylvania is expanding eligibility for the COVID-19 vaccine in the initial phase of the rollout to include people age 65 and over as well as younger people with serious health conditions that put them at higher risk. Those conditions include cancer, diabetes, pregnancy, smokers, obesity, and more.

The city of Philadelphia, meanwhile, says that they've moved to phase B1 of the vaccination process.

State health officials made the announcement Tuesday which affect the rest of the state. The Health Department says its updated coronavirus vaccine plan tracks recommendations from the federal government, but it's uncertain how the expanded rollout will work given the slow pace of vaccinations so far and limitations on supplies.

It's not exactly clear how many additional Pennsylvanians will be eligible for the vaccine now, but one can assume that this affects a lot of people. With a limited supply of the vaccine, you can imagine the frustrations this will likely cause across the state.

"We are well aware we don't have enough vaccine to meet the demand at this point," Cindy Findley, a deputy health secretary, said at a media briefing.

The state launched a vaccine information page, which now includes an updated "vaccine eligibility quiz." Click here to take that quiz to see if/when you'll be eligible to receive the vaccine.

If you are eligible for the vaccine in Pennsylvania, you can click here to view a list of vaccination sites throughout the commonwealth. 

Additional details about the vaccination process in the state of Pennsylvania can be found on the health department's website.

Of course, the major expansion of the vaccine's release comes hours after the news that the state’s top health official, Dr. Rachel Levine, is President-elect Joe Biden’s pick to be assistant secretary of health.

Meanwhile, New Jersey officials have expanded the availability of the COVID-19 vaccine in the Garden State. We've put together a comprehensive list of COVID-19 vaccination sites in New Jersey. Click here to view that complete list.
The Associated Press Contributed To This Report.