Approximately 198,000 doses of the Moderna Covid-19 vaccine have been allocated for state health care workers, and that distribution will begin sometime this week, Pennsylvania Department of Health Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine said Monday.
Additionally, 17,700 health care workers received the Pfizer vaccine last week, and the state anticipates that an additional 30,225 Pfizer vaccines will be distributed this week, Levine said.
What the numbers look like: While the news of vaccination is promising, the state reported 7,745 new cases and 57 additional deaths on Monday and 7,355 new cases and 99 deaths on Sunday, Levine said.
Hospitals continued to be strained with 6,074 patients currently hospitalized, 1,230 in intensive care and 720 people currently on ventilators, she continued.
Vaccination rollout for nursing homes will start next Monday, Levine said, but said there are no new updates on specific strategies for this grouping. More information is likely to come throughout the week as the state has more conversations with Operation Warp Speed and the distributing pharmacies. Levine emphasized that it will be “some months” until the vaccine is available to the public.