The Covid-19 vaccine is finally here! To ensure effective distribution, all 50 states have created plans to try to roll out the vaccine as soon as possible.  Many state officials have created tiered plans in an effort to clearly outline those eligible for the vaccine.

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania’s plan goes as follows:

Phase 1A (current phase)

• Long-term care facility residents
• Health care personnel including, but not limited to:
  • Emergency medical service personnel
  • Nurses
  • Nursing assistants
  • Physicians
  • Dentists
  • Dental hygienists
  • Chiropractors
  • Therapists
  • Phlebotomists
  • Pharmacists
  • Technicians
  • Pharmacy technicians
  • Health professions students and trainees
  • Direct support professionals
  • Clinical personnel in school settings or correctional facilities
  • Contractual HCP not directly employed by the health care facility
• Persons not directly involved in patient care but potentially exposed to infectious material that can transmit disease among or from health care personnel and patients
• Persons ages 65 and older
• Persons ages 16-64 with high-risk conditions:
  • Cancer
  • Chronic kidney disease
  • COPD
  • Down Syndrome
  • Heart conditions, such as heart failure, coronary artery disease, or cardiomyopathies
  • Immunocompromised state (weakened immune system) from solid organ transplant or from blood or bone marrow transplant, immune deficiencies, HIV, use of corticosteroids, or use of other immune weakening medicines
  • Obesity (body mass index [BMI] of 30 kg/m2 or higher but < 40 kg/m2)
  • Severe Obesity (BMI ≥ 40 kg/m2)
  • Pregnancy
  • Sickle cell disease
  • Smoking
  • Type 2 diabetes mellitus

Phase 2B

• People in congregate settings not otherwise specified as long-term care facilities, and persons receiving home and community-based services
• First responders
• Correctional officers and other workers serving people in congregate care settings not included in Phase 1A  
• Food and agricultural workers
• U.S. Postal Service workers
• Manufacturing workers  
• Grocery store workers  
• Education workers 
• Clergy and other essential support for houses of worship 
• Public transit workers
• Individuals caring for children or adults in early childhood and adult day programs

Phase 1C

Essential workers in these sectors:

• Transportation and logistics
• Water and wastewater
• Foodservice
• Housing construction
• Finance, including bank tellers
• Information technology
• Communications
• Energy, including nuclear reactors
• Legal services
• Federal, state, county, and local government workers, including county election workers, elected officials and members of the judiciary and their staff
• Media
• Public safety
• Public health workers

Phase 2

• ​All individuals not previously covered who are 16 and older and do not have a contraindication to the vaccine (note that at this time, only the Pfizer-BioNTech product is approved for those age 16 and 17)

“COVID-19 Vaccines.” Pennsylvania Department of Health, 19 Jan. 2021,

     www.health.pa.gov/topics/disease/coronavirus/Vaccine/Pages/Vaccine.aspx.

     Accessed 24 Jan. 2021.