COVID-19 vaccine supply increased in Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania received more than 300,000 new COVID-19 vaccine doses as of Friday with the first dose allotment increasing by more than 20,000 from the previous week, the state Health Department said.
Nearly 140,000 of those new doses were to be used for the required second shot, the state Health Department said Friday.
“The second dose of the vaccine is secure,” said Lindsey Mauldin, a senior adviser for the department.
However, the deman far outweighs the supply for the virus vaccine, said Washington County Commission Chairwoman Diana Irey Vaughan.
“It’s terribly frustrating,” Irey Vaughan said.
She said the county receives no reports from the state regarding the number of vaccines that are being distributed in the area.
“People are desperate to get vaccines for their aging parents,” Irey Vaughan said.
President Biden said Friday in a national broadcast that the latest COVID-19 relief bill approved along party lines that morning includes $160 billion for vaccine manufacturing and setting up vaccination sites. The measure is expected to pass next month, the Associated Press reported.
The virus has killed 22,239 Pennsylvanians since March after 138 new deaths were reported Friday, including two in Washington County and one other in Fayette County.
The state reported 4,688 new virus cases, bringing the cumulative total to 861,674.
Washington County reported 62 new cases, taking its total to 12,874. Fayette’s case-count grew by 33 to 9,871. Greene County saw eight new cases added to its total of 2,464.