As coronavirus numbers tumble, Pa. and N.J. officials escalate push for more vaccinations

With the numbers of COVID-19 cases falling dramatically in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, and elsewhere, officials are pressing their campaigns for getting more people vaccinated, calling it the best shot the region and the nation have at reclaiming normality.

Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf said that his administration is looking for ways to get the likes of physicians and pharmacists to persuade people to get the shots, and has added 200 vaccine providers to its working list of more than 3,000. He urged clinics to host daily walk-in hours.

“I think we all have a sense of urgency,” Wolf said. His New Jersey counterpart, Phil Murphy, said the vaccination numbers ultimately would drive the lifting of restrictions on crowds and businesses.

“This thing has turned, and turned for the better,” Murphy said, pointing to data showing decreases in positive tests and hospitalizations.

» READ MORE: ‘The challenge to come’: Vaccinations are open, but demand is down, turning Pa. and Philly’s focus to fighting hesitancy

Following the March surge of cases, the seven-day averages for COVID-19 cases in Philadelphia, New Jersey, and Delaware had fallen in the vicinity of 25%, compared with the previous week, according to an Inquirer analysis. In Pennsylvania, they were down about 20%.

Meanwhile, the pace of vaccinations has escalated dramatically. In Pennsylvania, the daily vaccine numbers have jumped from 15,000 last month to 94,000, said Health Department spokeswoman Maggi Barton.

About 3.3 million Pennsylvanians have been fully vaccinated, and the commonwealth on Wednesday ranked 10th among states for percentage of the population receiving at least one shot.

In New Jersey, the more than 2.9 million people who are fully inoculated were better than halfway to Murphy’s target of 4.7 million by the end of June.

An Inquirer analysis documented a correlation between high vaccine rates and declining case numbers.

For example, in Vermont, where nearly 53% of residents have been partially vaccinated, COVID-19 infections have dropped more than 50%. In several states where fewer than 40% had been vaccinated, including Arizona, Nevada, North Carolina, Alabama, and Mississippi, cases have risen during the last two weeks.

But some vaccine hesitancy evidently persists.

In New Jersey, just more than half of the staff in long-term care and assisted-living facilities have been vaccinated, the state says. Murphy urged the families of residents to ask the facilities what is being done to address the reluctance.

» READ MORE: COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy is understandable. But the risks vastly outweigh the benefits.

Demand for vaccine has been leveling off in Philadelphia, where thousands of doses will expire in a few days if they weren’t used, officials said.

“Everyone over 16 is eligible, and we have tons of walk-up opportunity,” said Charles Elison, a spokesperson for FEMA, which is operating clinics at Esperanza in North Philadelphia and at the Pennsylvania Convention Center.

The Convention Center site will be open Thursday and Friday, and the full schedules for both sites are available on the city’s website.

“It’s never been easier to get vaccinated,” Elison said.

» READ MORE: 3,000 coronavirus vaccine doses set to expire in Philadelphia if they go unused

Wolf urged all eligible residents who have not yet received shots to “make plans now” for doing so. He added that adults would be protecting those under 16, who aren’t eligible to be vaccinated.

Both Wolf and Murphy emphasized that vaccination rates would determine the rates of returning the country to the pre-pandemic world.

Wolf said that Pennsylvania’s coronavirus task force will take a hard look at the state’s reopening timeline.

“The next challenge is for us to decide, to determine when we think everything is going to get back to being open,” the governor said.

Staff writers Erin McCarthy, Justine McDaniel, Chris A. Williams, and Allison Steele contributed to this article.