Bucks Co. Essential Workers Can Now Sign Up For COVID Vaccine
BUCKS COUNTY, PA — Essential workers in Bucks County who soon will be eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine may now register with the county health department to get inoculated against the virus.
Signups opened Friday for individuals and businesses that qualify on the Bucks County Coronavirus Vaccine Information page.
People who register will get a notification when they are able to schedule an appointment.
Like the rest of the state, Bucks County currently remains under Phase 1A of a four-phase vaccination plan. Under that phase, healthcare workers and residents of nursing homes and other long-term care facilities are being vaccinated.
But, health officials say they expect to move into Phase 1B some time in February. In that phase, all adults 75 and older may be vaccinated, along with school staff, grocery store workers, transit employees, food workers and others.
Phase 1C expands access to everyone 65 and older and people of all ages with existing health conditions. More essential workers also are added, including transportation workers, media, banking, government and legal system employees.
COVID-19 Vaccine In Pennsylvania: Everything You Need To Know
During the past week, the Bucks County Health Department administered 1,509 doses of the coronavirus vaccine at its appointment-only clinic at Woods Services. The clinic is geared toward non-hospital healthcare and emergency workers in the county. Woods has supplied space for the clinic but is not operating it and should not be contacted for information about vaccines, officials said.
Questions about receiving the vaccine in Bucks County should be directed to the Bucks County Health Department by calling 215-345-3318 or sending an email to covid19@buckscounty.org.
Click Here To Register For The COVID-19 Vaccine In Bucks County
In Bucks County, 14,096 partial doses and 3,249 full doses of the two-shot coronavirus vaccine had been administered in Bucks County as of Friday. Most had been given at hospitals or by pharmacies who have been contracted to give the vaccine at nursing homes and other facilities.
On Thursday, Gov. Tom Wolf approved a waiver that will allow pharmacists to give the vaccine without a doctor's orders.
As of Saturday, there had been 36,061 cases of the coronavirus in Bucks County since the pandemic began, according to the state Department of Health. There had been 968 deaths in the county due to COVID-19, according to the state.
On Friday, county hospitals had 151 COVID patients, with 22 of them on ventilators.
Also this week, a Bucks County resident tested positive for the especially contagious variant of COVID-19 first identified in the United Kingdom. The woman, who also has a home in Philadelphia, tested positive last month and is believed to be no longer contagious.
"We are not overly concerned about this development because all available evidence shows that the existing vaccines are effective against this variant," said Bucks County Health Department Director Dr. David Damsker. "So long as that continues to be the case, we will treat this variant the same as our other cases."
Free COVID-19 testing is available through the end of January at three locations across Bucks provided by Bucks County Community College. After testing, results are typically available within 48 to 72 hours. Click here for more information.
This article originally appeared on the Warminster Patch
