Pa. Health Dept. mulls distribution of new Johnson & Johnson vaccine

Pa. Health Dept. mulls distribution of new Johnson & Johnson vaccine

By Sarah Boden / WESA

March 2, 2021

Officials at the Pennsylvania Department of Health say more details will be announced on COVID-19 vaccinations for teachers later this week. There have been rumors that Pennsylvania would use its allotment of the newly authorized Johnson & Johnson vaccine for educators.

But health department Senior Advisor Lindsay Maudlin wouldn’t confirm this.

“We’re currently working with the legislative COVID task force members, PEMA, and other partners to determine how to use the first supply of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine,” Mauldin says.

There are more than 155,000 public school teachers in Pennsylvania. This number does not include classroom aides, social workers, administrative and facilities staff, or private school employees. 

Health officials also say the state is on track to deliver second doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine so that people can be fully vaccinated within the recommended window of 42 days. 

Last month the department announced that a miscommunication led many providers to administer Moderna doses that were earmarked for second shots as first shots. This created a bottleneck that caused the second-dose appointments for thousands of Pennsylvanians to be rescheduled.  

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