Allegheny Health Network suspends vaccine appointments as hospitals struggle with supply - TribLIVE

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Allegheny Health Network has paused scheduling covid-19 vaccine appointments because of a supply issue, hospital leaders said Friday, as other health systems in the region faced increased demand for the shots.

Excela Health officials said they are unable to expand vaccine distribution to people who are not health care workers.

AHN has administered around 35,000 doses since mid-December and has scheduled another 26,000 with its current vaccine supply. For now, leaders said, the network’s entire supply has been allocated, and can no longer accommodate additional appointments for the time being.

“At the current time,” a message on the network’s website reads, “AHN has scheduled all of our available covid-19 vaccine for distribution and we have temporarily disabled our scheduling portal.”

The message explains that the network anticipates receiving more doses in the “near future” and is in the process of transitioning into a new website portal for scheduling.

The network’s revelation comes just days after Pennsylvania health officials expanded vaccine eligibility in Phase 1A to include people older than 65 and people between 16-64 with certain underlying health conditions, including cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, diabetes and many others.

Since the state’s announcement Tuesday, hospital leaders at several systems in the region have spoken out about how the state’s supply cannot match such a wide expansion. Meanwhile, the systems are fielding thousands of emails and calls from the newly-eligible.

AHN quickly put out a statement Tuesday to explain the network would only expand eligibility to people older than 75 and those who had received cancer treatment in the last year.

Friday’s announcement appears to be another measure to manage the network’s available supply.

“We understand the public’s concern and frustration about the limited availability of the vaccine and appreciate everyone’s patience as we work hard to distribute the vaccine as quickly and efficiently as possible when we have it to those who need it most,” officials said in a statement.

AHN is not the only health system in the region struggling with an influx of people hoping to be vaccinated now that eligibility has expanded.

UPMC also does not schedule vaccinations for doses it does not have, a spokeswoman said. The process is to collect requests for vaccination, along with information to determine where requesters fall within the Phase 1A eligibility.

“We then we contact those who are highest in our prioritization and schedule them for vaccination with the supply we either already have or have been told we will receive,” said spokeswoman Taylor Andres. “We’ve found this process best manages community expectations and mitigates disappointment because we don’t have to cancel already scheduled vaccinations.”

In Westmoreland County, Excela Health is devising a new approach to taking new patients and determining vaccine eligibility. But for the time being, the number of health care workers in need of vaccine has “exceeded” vaccine supply.

“At present, we are not able to offer vaccine to additional individuals,” said Chief Medical Officer Dr. Carol Fox. “We are investigating what options there may be for additional distribution sites and how best to determine underlying conditions. There are many logistics to work and all is contingent on our ability to receive vaccines from the state.”

Teghan Simonton is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Teghan at 724-226-4680, tsimonton@triblive.com or via Twitter .

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