COVID-19 In Pittsburgh: Allegheny County Health Department Canceling Vaccine Appointments For Ineligible People
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - As vaccination efforts continue, some are finding their appointments to get the vaccine canceled in Allegheny County.
According to the county health department, it has canceled hundreds of appointments for people who are not meeting their eligibility requirements. It is advising people who got appointments canceled to get vaccinated at non-county sites.
Currently, the Allegheny County Health Department is not vaccinating everyone in phase 1A. Instead, the county is only vaccinating people over 65 or who those who work in health care. So people under 65 but with pre-existing conditions are not eligible at county sites.
The problem is the state website allows people to register for the spots and then the county has to alert people they don't meet the county's specific requirements.
"The vaccine appointments we opened yesterday for those 65 and over were filled in less than 30 minutes. Our staff is going through records of everyone who registered and canceling appointments for anyone who is not eligible, so that we can make those appointments available to those who meet the current focus of our local efforts," Allegheny County Health Director Dr. Debra Bogen said.
Dr. Bogen is hoping to expand the county vaccination efforts to everyone in Phase 1A as soon as more vaccines are available. She expressed her frustration with the slow rollout of the vaccine as well.