Harrisburg, PA – The Pennsylvania Department of Health today launched a new tool called Your Turn to help Pennsylvanians understand where they fall in the vaccine prioritization effort and to be alerted when it is their turn to schedule an appointment for the COVID-19 vaccine.

“Since all seniors are currently eligible to be vaccinated, Pennsylvanians younger than 65 can use this tool to determine if it is their turn to receive the COVID-19 vaccine in Pennsylvania,” Acting Secretary of Health Alison Beam said. “When it is your turn, we will direct you on how to find a vaccine provider. If it is not your turn yet, you will be able to enter contact information to receive updates about vaccine distribution in Pennsylvania and for us to let you know when it is your turn to get vaccinated.

If an individual does not have internet access or is unable to use the Your Turn tool, they can call 877-PA-HEALTH and speak with a representative to determine eligibility. If an individual is eligible, the representative will help the individual locate nearby vaccine providers and provide contact information so the individual can make a vaccine appointment directly with a provider.

With initial supplies extremely limited, the COVID-19 vaccine is being distributed in phases. Qualifying for a vaccine does not guarantee available doses or appointments. If someone does qualify, they can then visit the vaccine provider map to set up an appointment with a provider or get on that provider’s contact list.

Your Turn will be used for the sole purpose of determining eligibility for receiving a COVID-19 vaccination in Pennsylvania and will replace the current eligibility quiz on pa.gov. Using the tool does not register an individual to receive a vaccine and does not guarantee a vaccination appointment. Eligibility is based on prioritizations recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), which have been implemented in the commonwealth’s COVID-19 Interim Vaccination Plan.

“We are working to vaccinate everyone in Pennsylvania who wishes to receive a vaccination,” Acting Secretary Beam said. “While you are waiting for your turn to receive a vaccine, you can visit the provider map to view vaccine providers around you, but remember, please do not register with a vaccine provider until it is your turn. As we wait for more vaccine to become available, make sure you continue to wear a mask, wash your hands, social distance, download COVID Alert PA and visit the department’s website to stay updated. These mitigation efforts are still important even for those who are vaccinated.”

COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution
Pennsylvania hospitals began receiving shipments of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine the week of Dec. 14 and Moderna COVID-19 vaccine the week of Dec. 21. Please note that this does include vaccine administration through CVS as part of the Federal Pharmacy Partnership, which is vaccinating people in long-term care facilities. Vaccination numbers for Pennsylvania do not include Philadelphia, which is its own jurisdiction, or federal facilities, which are working directly with the federal government.

Through Feb. 13:

• 2,439,550 doses of the vaccine will have been allocated/received by providers.
  • 175,175 first doses will have been allocated this week.
    • 1,426,600 first doses will have been allocated in total.
  • 143,275 second doses will have been allocated this week.
    • 1,012,950 second doses will have been allocated in total.

Through Feb. 8:

• 1,352,248 doses of the vaccine have been administered to 1,049,609 people.
  • 1,049,609, or 74 percent, of people have received their first dose of vaccine.
  • 302,639, or 30 percent, of people have received their second dose of vaccine.

While vaccine supply from the federal government remains limited, the Department of Health is working to ensure the vaccine is provided in a way that is ethical, equitable and efficient.

• A commonwealth COVID-19 vaccination guide explains the current process for getting one. Pennsylvanians with questions about the vaccination process can call the Department of Health hotline at 1-877-724-3258.
• Vaccine provider map to find a COVID-19 vaccine provider near you.
• All of the locations that received vaccine and how much they have received can be found on the COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution webpage.
• Vaccine dashboard data can also be found on the website to find more information on the doses administered and showcase demographic information.
• Pennsylvanians can provide feedback on the Pennsylvania COVID-19 Interim Vaccination Plan by clicking on the Plan Feedback Form square under Popular Vaccine Topics here.
• Frequently asked questions can be found here.

The Wolf Administration stresses the role Pennsylvanians play in helping to reduce the spread of COVID-19:

• Wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or use hand sanitizer if soap and water are not available.
• Cover any coughs or sneezes with your elbow, not your hands.
• Clean surfaces frequently.
• Stay home to avoid spreading COVID-19, especially if you are unwell.
• If you must go out, you are required to wear a mask when in a business or where it is difficult to maintain proper social distancing.
• Download the COVID Alert PA app and make your phone part of the fight. The free app can be found in the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store by searching for “covid alert pa”.

Updated Coronavirus Links: Press Releases, State Lab Photos, Graphics

• Daily COVID-19 Report
• Press releases regarding coronavirus
• Latest information on the coronavirus
• Photos of the state’s lab in Exton (for download and use)
• Coronavirus and preparedness graphics (located at the bottom of the page)
• Community preparedness and procedures materials

House Republicans Prioritizing COVID-19 Relief, Vaccines
Respond to Gov. Wolf’s attack on working Pennsylvanians and small businesses

HARRISBURG – The Pennsylvania House Republican Caucus discussed its prioritization of COVID-19 relief and ensuring robust vaccine deployment while Gov. Tom Wolf unveiled a budget proposal that increases the state’s Personal Income Tax by 46%—or $7 billion annually—on working Pennsylvanians and small businesses.

“No matter how you slice it, today Gov. Wolf proposed a massive tax increase on working Pennsylvanians and small businesses—the very same Pennsylvanians who have been unfairly targeted by overbroad and inconsistent economic shutdowns over the past year. Tax increases are not the answer to our current problems,” said House Majority Leader Kerry Benninghoff (R-Centre/Mifflin).

“Thankfully for Pennsylvanians, the House Republican Caucus will continue to lead by prioritizing economic recovery, protecting Pennsylvania families and ensuring we have a government in which Pennsylvanians can be proud. This week, we will be passing nearly $1 billion in short-term COVID-19 economic relief while working to get vaccines off the shelves and into people’s arms,” continued Benninghoff.

This week the House is expected to pass Senate Bill 109, legislation appropriating nearly $1 billion to small businesses, the hospitality industry, and those needing rent and utility assistance, among other. The plan also includes a grant program for the hospitality industry funded by $145 million from the Workers Compensation Security Fund.

House Appropriations Majority Chairman Stan Saylor (R-York) noted the importance of helping these businesses, which will be largely targeted by Gov. Wolf’s proposed increase to the Personal Income Tax.

“What the governor proposed today was just more of the same, but it shockingly and unfairly targeted middle-class, working Pennsylvanians and small businesses job creators to pay the brunt of this massive proposed increase in spending,” Saylor said.

“House Republicans are going to be leading in a different path for the benefit of all Pennsylvanians,” Saylor continued. “This week, we will provide short-term relief to small businesses most impacted by this governor’s ridiculous and confusing economic shutdowns, those needing rent or utility assistance, and the hospitality industry as we plan for long-term solutions to return Pennsylvania back to normal.”

The House is also expected to take up and pass House Bill 326, sponsored by Rep. Tim O’Neal (R-Washington), which would utilize the Pennsylvania National Guard in developing vaccine distribution infrastructure to help lift Pennsylvania from its near-bottom ranking in terms of vaccine distribution efficiency.

As of Wednesday morning, Becker’s Hospital Review ranks Pennsylvania as 44^th in the nation in terms of distribution efficiency.

Chairman of the House Veterans Affairs and Emergency Preparedness, Rep. Karen Boback (R-Luzerne/Wyoming), noted the bill will be considered in that committee Wednesday.

“Our National Guard is a tremendous resource during emergencies and this legislation simply codifies into law key provisions that will enable our national guard, and the agencies they support to be prepared with plans and operations tools that will greatly assist with our state vaccination and pandemic response efforts,” Boback said. “I look forward to moving this bill out of committee today and working across the aisle with my colleagues on a finished product that the Senate can take up in the near future.”

O’Neal commented on the impetus for his bill, which is to improve Pennsylvania’s COVID-19 vaccine deployment.

“With Pennsylvania being at the bottom of states when it comes to vaccine administration, it is simply unacceptable,” O’Neal said. “I’m hopeful my legislation to involve the National Guard in distributing and possibly administering the vaccine will speed efforts to get shots in arms. The National Guard has expertise in logistics. We need to use their talents to take this important step in stopping the spread of COVID-19.”

Fauci warns against Super Bowl parties to avoid virus spread
WASHINGTON (AP) — The nation’s top infectious disease expert doesn’t want Sunday’s Super Bowl to turn into a super spreader. Dr. Anthony Fauci is cautioning against big Super Bowl watch parties, saying people should “just lay low and cool it.” He said during TV interviews Wednesday that big events like Sunday’s game in Tampa, Florida, between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are always a cause for concern over the potential for virus spread. “You don’t want parties with people that you haven’t had much contact with,” he told NBC’s “Today” show. “You just don’t know if they’re infected, so, as difficult as that is, at least this time around, just lay low and cool it.”

Keystone State News Connection

Vaccination Hurdles Frustrate PA Seniors

Andrea Sears

HARRISBURG, Pa. – Many older Pennsylvanians say they are encountering roadblocks as they try to schedule appointments to get the COVID vaccine.

The Keystone State has initiated the 1-A phase of vaccination distribution, making 2.5 million Pennsylvanians age 65 and older eligible to receive the vaccine.

But according to Bill Johnston-Walsh, state director of AARP Pennsylvania, people are being frustrated by long delays and malfunctions with the phone and web systems the state has created to help people make appointments with health-care providers, hospitals and pharmacies to actually receive their vaccinations.

“They’re being held on lines but can’t get through,” said Johnston-Walsh. “The websites tell them that they can’t sign up for a vaccination right now. There’s overflowing mailboxes, automated messages saying that there’s no appointments available at this time.”

AARP has sent a letter to Gov. Tom Wolf calling for greater transparency and expanded distribution to assure vaccine availability in all communities throughout the state.

Johnston-Walsh said it’s not just the logistics of scheduling the appointments that’s getting in the way. He noted that the state needs about 8 million doses to cover the two-dose regimen for everyone in the current vaccination phase.

“We’re only at 1.5,” said Johnston-Walsh. “So, we have a long way to go just to get through phase 1-A, never mind go on to the other phases and then also try to vaccinate all Pennsylvanians.”

He noted they also are hearing that the state process for approving those who are qualified to administer the vaccine has been slow.

Johnston-Walsh said he’s urging the state to approve every pharmacy to administer the vaccines, and to create state-run “one-stop-shopping” information and assistance for seniors.

“Where Pennsylvanians can go to the Department of Health web site and/or a 1-800 number to find out where there is a site and then help them sign up for it,” said Johnston-Walsh.

AARP also is urging the state to increase public awareness of vaccine allocations and ensure that updates on vaccine administration are posted on a public website.

State lawmakers are pushing to curb governors’ virus powers
By DAVID A. LIEB Associated Press
State lawmakers around the U.S. are moving to curb the authority of governors and top health officials to impose emergency restrictions such as mask rules and business shutdowns. Many legislators are resentful of the way governors have issued sweeping executive orders. They are pushing back in states such as Arizona, Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana and Pennsylvania. Some governors say they need authority to act quickly and decisively against the fast-changing threat.

Benninghoff: There Should Be No Other Top Priority Than Getting People Vaccinated

HARRISBURG – Gov. Tom Wolf announced his tax and spend priorities Thursday that included selecting winners and losers in Pennsylvania’s economy and targeting critical industry during a pandemic.

On the announcement, House Majority Leader Kerry Benninghoff (R-Centre/Mifflin) made the following statement:

“The governor and his administration should have no other top priority than getting Pennsylvanians vaccinated. Pennsylvania ranks near the bottom of the country in terms of vaccine deployment efficiency, and the confusing and short-sighted guidance from the administration has caused significant public angst. Getting vaccines into the arms of Pennsylvanians is the most significant key to getting Pennsylvania back to normal and beginning to solve many of the problems the governor outlined today.

“Otherwise, this announcement was as disappointing as it was unsurprising. Today Gov. Wolf outlined the continuation of his tax and spend pattern of picking winners and losers and targeting Pennsylvania growth industries.

“Over the next several months, the House Republican Caucus will work toward advancing our priorities of economic recovery, protecting families, and creating a government Pennsylvanians can be proud of. I implore the administration and our colleagues on the other side of the aisle to work constructively with us for the betterment of Pennsylvania.”

(Moon Twp, Pa.) Heritage Valley will be vaccinating some Beaver County residents today and tomorrow at the Community College of Beaver County Dome. Over the next two days Heritage Valley is planning on vaccinating 2,300 people who are over the age of 80.

Registration was launched last Friday on Heritage Valley’s Web site for people who are eligible for the vaccine in Phase 1A of the states plan. More than 20,000 people have registered to receive the vaccine so far at heritagevalley.org

All vaccines being distributed by Heritage Valley at these events are appointment-only and not available for walk-ins.

Heritage Valley said they’ll schedule additional clinics when they get more of the COVID-19 vaccine.

Fed stresses its commitment to low rates for the long run
By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER AP Economics Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Federal Reserve pledged on Wednesday to keep its low interest rate policies in place even well after the economy has sustained a recovery from the viral pandemic. The Fed said in a statement after its latest policy meeting that the improvement in the economy and job market has slowed in recent months, particularly in industries affected by the raging pandemic. Fed officials kept their benchmark short-term rate pegged near zero and said they would keep buying Treasury and mortgage bonds to restrain longer-term borrowing rates and support the economy

Pennsylvania Senate OKs $912M pandemic recovery aid bill
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania’s state Senate is advancing legislation to distribute just over $900 million to aid schools and hospitality-related businesses hit hard by the coronavirus, as well as people struggling to pay rent or utility bills. The bill passed the Senate unanimously on Wednesday. It still requires approval from the state House of Representatives and Gov. Tom Wolf. Most of the $912 million is federal aid. Some of it, $145 million, is reserve cash from a worker’s compensation fund that Wolf asked lawmakers to send to businesses hit hard by the pandemic. The majority of the money, $570 million, would help people struggling to pay rent or utilities. Private schools would get $150 million.

Nearly 115,000 PEUC program payments have been issued since Sunday, January 24, the day the program reopened. Claimants can file for the 11 additional weeks provided by the extension, which is on top of 13 weeks provided in the original CARES Act. The PEUC program adds a total of 24 weeks to the number of eligible weeks a claimant has through the regular Unemployment Compensation (UC) program.

L&I identified and fixed the issue experienced by PEUC claimants who were not being offered claim weeks since they last filed for benefits on December 26.

PEUC claimants should now be able to file and should email uchelp@pa.gov if they experience additional issues with their claims.

Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA)

L&I reopened the PUA program on Friday, January 22. Since then, claimants have filed close to 420,000 weeks for the program, which assists workers who are not eligible for regular UC, such as gig workers, freelancers and self-employed workers.

L&I has received reports of a variety of issues with filing PUA claims including:

• Slow website or website pages that fail to load – This is caused by a high amount of website traffic. On Monday, L&I implemented a “waiting room” for claimants attempting to enter the PUA website during high traffic periods, which has prevented issues with the PUA website becoming overwhelmed.
• You are notified to reopen your claim even though you previously filed for the week of December 26 – These claimants should follow the directions to reopen their claim which can be found in the “Latest News and Announcements” widget on their dashboard.
• You self-identified as a permanent resident – This has been occurring since November and is unrelated to the new CARES Act extension. These claimants will not receive benefits until L&I verifies their work status. If you haven’t done so already, you should upload your permanent resident/visa information to your dashboard. If you have answered this question incorrectly and are a U.S. Citizen, and haven’t already done so, upload your birth certificate, passport or information to show your citizenship status.
• You filed for four weeks on January 24 but only received one payment – This issue is related to a recalculation of your balance. As of now, these claimants will not need to refile for the weeks ending January 2, 9, or 16, because L&I will process the filed claims once the issue is corrected.
• You tried to file before the PUA program reopened on January 22 and clicked a link labeled “COVID-19-2” causing your claim to appear inactive – The issues caused by early filing attempts have been fixed on most claims and will continue to be fixed today.

L&I is working quickly to correct these issues and will provide regular updates on social media and on our website at www.dli.pa.gov. PUA claimants should email ucpua@pa.gov if they experience issues with their claims, and provide as much detail as possible about the problem.

Claimants in the PEUC and PUA programs had been unable to file for claims ending after December 26 due to the federal government failing to finalize the extension of the federal CARES Act until December 27 and the federal Department of Labor not providing the guidance needed for Pennsylvania to ensure it was complying with federal law when making payments until January 11. L&I then needed time to complete recoding of its computer systems to account for changes in federal law.

L&I Resources and Links for Claimants

• Important Updates and News about the PUA Program
• Federal CARES Act
• Important L&I Updates Related to COVID-19
• Report Unemployment Fraud and Identity Theft
• 2020 Tax Forms for Claimants

For information on unemployment programs, visit uc.pa.gov or follow L&I on Facebook or Twitter. Click here for the latest L&I news.