Politics & Government

PA Vaccine Update: 2nd Doses 'Guaranteed' After Moderna Mix-Up

Pennsylvania officials said unequivocally Tuesday that all second doses would be given within the 42-day maximum timeframe.

Officials in Pennsylvania were unequivocal in declaring that second doses will be guaranteed to all those who received a first doses, despite the delays and Moderna mixup last week.
Officials in Pennsylvania were unequivocal in declaring that second doses will be guaranteed to all those who received a first doses, despite the delays and Moderna mixup last week. ( Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

PENNSYLVANIA — While residual delays from the Moderna vaccine mixup will lead to at least a few weeks of delayed appointments across Pennsylvania, officials are guaranteeing second doses will be available within the mandated timeframe for all those who received their first shot, they reiterated Tuesday.

Authorities announced last week that tens of thousands of second doses of the Moderna vaccine had been mistakenly given as first doses in Pennsylvania. Though the doses contain identical medicine, they're earmarked for first and second shots in order to ensure the second dose is available within the CDC-recommended timeframe.

RELATED: Many 2nd Doses Of Moderna Vaccine Mistakenly Given As 1st In PA

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The mistakes caused a massive shortage in second doses, and some 30,000 to 60,000 second dose appointments to be delayed. But officials said unequivocally on Tuesday that all second doses would be given within the 42-day maximum timeframe.

Acting Secretary of Health Allison Beam said that this was "because of the swift action we (the Department of Health) took" alongside the bipartisan joint legislative task force on the vaccine to reallocate first doses and improve communications with providers.

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It remains unclear exactly what caused many vaccine providers to wrongly allocated the doses, and the state has not clarified much on the nature of the error. On Tuesday, Gov. Tom Wolf pointed to "miscommunication."

The state said they worked with an outside private firm, the Boston Consulting Group, to address what went wrong.

"Some changes are having a bigger impact," Beam said, but did not go into specifics.

Officials have previously said it was a "structural" issue, and that some number of first doses have been mistakenly given as second doses since the beginning of the year.

"An eagerness to get vaccine to residents, incredible pent-up desire by the public to get this vaccine, dedicated vaccine providers trying to deliver what their customers are demanding, inconsistent vaccine allocations, confusion about Operation Warp Speed deliveries, and the need for more frequent and clear communication from the department (of health) all converged," Beam said last week.

But they're confident the delays will only impact the next few weeks, and that things will be balanced out by some point in March.

"We remain committed to smooth out the demand for second doses over the next couple of weeks," Beam added.

Beam says she knows there is still work to do to improve the rollout. The state is receiving increased doses this week, and they also announced progress in vaccinating long-term care facilities.

"We hear it, we feel your frustration, and I can tell you that every single day, our department of health is making improvements," she said.


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