COVID In Pennsylvania: New Website Helping Keep Track Of Who's Vaccinated And Where
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Getting everyone vaccinated is the goal of health experts to curb the pandemic. Now a website in the state of Pennsylvania is helping keep track of who's getting the vaccine and where.
With coronavirus cases surging post-holidays, all eyes are on the vaccine.
And nationwide, that estimate of 20 million vaccinated by the end of 2020, unfortunately, turned out to be a pipe dream.
"On the very front end, it could be the manufacturers are having delays in terms of producing that amount of vaccine," Bucks County emergency room doctor Dr. Jose Torradas said. "Since the federal government basically left it up to the states, you're getting kind of 50 different approaches, and even within each state, even every county could be doing it a little different."
But here in Pennsylvania, we know that 135,044 people have received the first dose of the vaccine as of Jan. 4, and it's thanks to a new vaccine tracking website created by the Department of Health.
"Why is the state making it public?" asked CBS3's Greg Argos.
"Because if anyone accuses you of not being transparent, this is your answer to that," Dr. Torradas said.
The website breaks down the number of injections by county, race, gender and age.
Dr. Torradas says there is some concern over the low numbers of those in minority populations who have received the vaccine.
"Blacks and Hispanics have been underrepresented in medicine and health care more generally so that may be one issue, but also there is a trust issue as well," Dr. Torradas said.
Additionally, Dr. Torradas says health care workers employed by smaller companies or those in private practice have had trouble accessing the vaccine themselves.
In Philadelphia, he says city officials are trying to remedy that by setting aside doses for that population and he recommends those workers reach out to local pharmacies to get the shot.
"The city has allotted several thousand doses to the Rite Aids and have gotten word out that people can go," said Dr. Torradas.
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