The Direct Care Physicians of Pittsburgh, along with medical students of the University of Pittsburgh, are extremely dissatisfied with the Pennsylvania Department of Health's decision to limit the number vaccine providers from 1700 to approximately 200 providers, of which only large hospital-affiliated institutions and commercial pharmacies are included.

This excludes efforts from medical providers unaffiliated with a major hospital corporation. These phase 1a qualifying healthcare workers as well as many qualifying Pennsylvanians have found it extremely difficult to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, and small clinics and unaffiliated physicians are perfectly positioned in the community to quickly mobilize and help these people.

Businesses like Spartan Pharmacy, Hilltop Pharmacy, Direct Care Physicians of Pittsburgh, and Wilson's Pharmacy, to name a few, have been integral in the efforts to vaccinate the public. Yet, they are now caught in a cat and mouse game of securing vaccines and distributing it in a fair, organized, and accessible way to those that need it most.

We urge the Pennsylvania Department of Health to not only ensure all clinics receive the allotted second doses of the COVID-19 vaccine that they need to finish the vaccination series, but to again include smaller healthcare providers in distributing first doses to keep Pennsylvanians healthy and safe.

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