By: KDKA TV News Staff
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – Allegheny Health Network says it is suspending the scheduling of COVID-19 vaccination for the general public due to the low amount available.
Wilson’s Pharmacy is one of the few in the state to administer the vaccine to members of the general public, and Dolores Hison considers her happy.
“I was shocked to come in today and find out he has it,” she said.
But do not let your hope rise. Although the pharmacy now vaccinates members of the general public 65 and older, pharmacist Jeff Wilson says he depletes his stock with the Modena vaccine almost as soon as the stock comes through the door.
“Most likely we will be out by the end of the day,” he said.
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It is the same in the whole state and nation. The distribution network of pharmacies, clinics and hospital systems says they are ready to vaccinate the general public, but the supply has dropped to a bit.
Algheny Health Network has vaccinated all 75 employees and older after all its healthcare workers, clinicians and first responders were vaccinated. But on Friday, AHN interrupted the scheduling until more stock became available.
‘Think of it like a movie theater. If you sell out tickets to a theater, you can not fit anyone else. If you can open another theater, you can engage more people. If we get more stock, we’ll basically open more places, ” Donald Whiting, chief medical officer at AHN.
The Pennsylvania Department of Health has so far had less than a pass rate after distributing less than half of the vaccines the state received, and UPMC has drawn criticism for not making its stock available to the general public before he did not vaccinate all his workers.
But Whiting says the biggest problem is the lack of supply from the federal government.
“We are very optimistic that the new government in Washington will work much faster to get it out,” he said.
UPMC gave its reason for vaccinating all its workers in the following statement:
The vast majority of UPMC staff’s COVID-19 exposure resulting from infection or quarantine does not occur within UPMC facilities but still has a significant impact on healthcare operations. The vaccination of all UPMC employees is essential to our ability to continue to provide world-class care.
In a release Friday night, the Allegheny County Department of Health announced that people 65 and older could be vaccinated from Monday at the DoubleTree Hotel in Monroeville. According to the province, an appointment is needed, and appointments will be “extremely limited”.
The clinic is open from Monday to Friday from 08:30 to 19:00 and on Saturday from 08:30 to 17:00
You can register for appointments for the week of January 25 by using the links below:
January 25; January 26; January 27; January 28; January 29; January 30
‘The links above connect users to the PrepMod scheduling system used by ACHD and PA DOH. If a vaccination is available for a specific day, the link to the page titled “Register for Vaccinations – DoubleTree Monroeville” will redirect with the date of the clinic. Individuals can enter their information and choose a time for vaccination. Choosing a time for vaccination is the last step of the registration process. “After planning an appointment, users will receive a confirmation email to the address provided during registration,” the department said.