Gov. Tom Wolf has embraced a White House goal to open vaccine eligibility to all adult residents by May 1. But first, the state must move beyond Phase 1A, which prioritizes health-care workers, people older than 64, and anyone older than 16 with certain high-risk conditions.

In order to do that, the state has directed vaccine providers to clear their waitlists and schedule appointments for anyone who currently qualifies by March 31 (though those appointments can extend far beyond that date).

With that deadline looming, Wolf is confident the state is on track to meet it. But others on the ground, including local officials and vaccine providers, are wary of promising too much, Spotlight PA reports.

As of last week, Fayette County was working to schedule about 13,000 appointments through April. "When you have a rag-tag team of volunteers who you’re telling, ‘You have to make 13,000 calls by the end of the month,’ it’s just not realistic," a county commissioner said. 

THE CONTEXT: As of Friday, 3.18 million people had received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine in Pennsylvania, according to state data. The health department estimates there are about 4 million eligible people in Phase 1A, and officials expect about 80% of them to seek the vaccine.

While high-level statistics show the state is making progress after a sluggish start, county-level data shows that some Pennsylvanians are apparently faring better snagging a vaccine appointment based on where they live.

In Beaver County, only 15% of residents had received at least one shot as of March 24. That’s in stark contrast to neighboring Butler County, where 30% of residents had received a shot, and Allegheny County, where that number was 31%.