All Pa. adults eligible for vaccine

Wolf outlines importance of vaccination acceleration

HARRISBURG -- Gov. Tom Wolf announced Monday that effective today, all Pennsylvania adults are eligible to schedule an appointment for the COVID -19 vaccine.

"We need to maintain acceleration of the vaccine rollout, especially as case counts and hospitalization rates have increased," Wolf said. "Therefore, just as President (Joe) Biden has brought forward universal adult access to vaccines from May 1 to April 19, we are moving Pennsylvania's timeline of universal adult access to April 13."

The Pennsylvania Department of Health noted there is ongoing appointment availability in many parts of the state even as Phase 1A and B continue and 1C began Monday.

With the change in eligibility, those in Phase 2 are now eligible, opening up vaccines to all. The health department said its ongoing initiative with the Area Agencies on Aging to provide assistance to seniors for accessing vaccines will continue, as will other equity initiatives.

"Everyone needs and should be afforded the opportunity to access the vaccine as soon as possible," Acting Pennsylvania Secretary of Health Alison Beam said. "And, this change provides earlier access for many, including college students increasing the likelihood of completion of two-dose regimens prior to leaving campus for the summer. It also means simpler, streamlined operations for vaccine providers that no longer need to check eligibility of people making appointments."

To date, Pennsylvania providers have administered more than 6 million vaccines and the state is ranked among the top 20 states for first-dose vaccinations. More than 2.4 million Pennsylvanians are fully vaccinated, meaning they've received both doses of a two-dose vaccine or a single-dose vaccine.

Pennsylvanians can find providers on the COVID-19 Vaccine Provider Map here.

"It is precisely the bipartisan cooperation of this joint task force coupled with the tremendous work of our provider network that has allowed our commonwealth to make rapid progress in our vaccine rollout, now expanding eligibility so that every Pennsylvanian who wants to be vaccinated has the opportunity to do so immediately," said state Sen. Ryan Aument. "Because we have maintained our commitment to residents within phases 1A and 1B, we can now further accelerate the rollout and protect our communities, particularly by ensuring that college students can be vaccinated before returning home to their families for the summer."

"This further-accelerated plan will move us much closer to the goal of vaccinating Pennsylvanians as quickly and equitably as possible," Wolf said.