PITTSBURGH — State and local health officials were in Pittsburgh on Tuesday touring UPMC’s South Side facility.
The visit from Pennsylvania Physician General Dr. Denise Johnson is part of a statewide effort to push COVID-19 vaccinations and treatments like monoclonal antibodies.
“We want to make sure all Pennsylvanians have access to the vaccine,” Johnson said.
“It really depends on Pennsylvanians continuing at the rate that we’ve had of getting that vaccination done. I believe we still can make it, but we still need to continue at the pace we are going,” Johnson said.
State leaders have committed to lifting Pennsylvania’s mask mandate for people who aren’t fully vaccinated on June 28. If 70% of adults are fully vaccinated before then, it will be lifted sooner.
Now the focus is shifting toward access, particularly in underserved communities. Johnson said it’s a critical step as the state prepares to lift the final mandate linked to the pandemic.
“Especially in the minority communities, we’re trying to make them aware that minority communities have been more heavily impacted by COVID,” she said.
Locally and on the state level, Johnson said education will play a key role in getting more people vaccinated.
One area that’s having a lot of success with the vaccine is Allegheny County.
Dr. Debra Bogen, Allegheny County health director, said nearly 100% of people 65 and older in Allegheny County are at least partially vaccinated. The development comes as the county passes a grim milestone of 2,000 COVID-19 deaths.
UPMC Chief Medical Officer Don Yealy said the vast majority of COVID-19 cases requiring hospitalization are people who are not fully vaccinated.
“The vaccinations work. They’re safe, and they provide excellent protection. Not perfect protection, but excellent protection, which is something different (from) what we’ve seen with virtually every other type of vaccination,” he said.
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