PA Officials Hail A Milestone In COVID-19 Vaccinations

PENNSYLVANIA — Officials in Pennsylvania announced they've reached a milestone in COVID-19 vaccinations, as 85 percent of the adult population has received at least their first dose. The announcement comes as the colder weather looms and case numbers remain elevated due to the more contagious delta variant.

Gov. Tom Wolf said efforts remain underway to improve the vaccination rate. He cited statistics indicating that fully vaccinated individuals are seven times less likely to be diagnosed with COVID-19, and eight times less likely to die from it.

“Today, the commonwealth has reached another milestone against COVID-19 and protecting ourselves and our loved ones against this deadly virus,” Gov. Wolf said in a statement. "The data is clear: COVID-19 vaccinations save lives."

The benchmark comes on the heels of last week's announcement from the Department of Health, which stated that 97 percent of COVID-19-related deaths, and 95 percent of related hospitalizations, have been among unvaccinated or partially vaccinated individuals.

Pennsylvania now ranks 9th nationally in first doses administered, and fifth for total doses administered. In addition to the 85 percent first dose vaccination rate, the state has also fully vaccinated 68.5 percent of its adult population.

Vaccines began distribution in Pennsylvania in Dec. 2020, and were widely available to the general public by early spring.

Statewide, the positivity rate on test has trended downwards in recent weeks, falling from 8.9 percent to 8.3 percent, according to the latest data from Early Warning Monitoring Dashboard. That data covers the week-long period ending Sept. 23.

The state is now in the process of distributing booster shots to certain qualifying individuals, after FDA and CDC guidance on that front was issued last week.

To learn more about getting a vaccine in Pennsylvania, see the Department of Health's website or contact a local provider.