*FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE* January 22, 2021 *Contact:* Aaron Aupperlee Public Health Information Officer 412-578-8312 (office) 412-339-7995 (cell) Aaron.Aupperlee@AlleghenyCounty.us *Health Department to Start Vaccinating People 65 and Older at Monroeville POD* *PITTSBURGH – *The Allegheny County Health Department (ACHD) today announced that individuals 65 years old and older will be able to be vaccinated at its Monroeville clinic starting Monday, January 25. An appointment is required for the site, and appointments will be extremely limited as the Health Department continues to vaccinate eligible healthcare workers and those returning for the second shot in the vaccination series. The Pennsylvania Department of Health (PA DOH) announced this week that Phase 1A of its vaccination plan was expanded to include anyone 65 and older and those 16 to 64 with specific health conditions. As the number of vaccines remain limited, ACHD is unable at this time to provide vaccines to those 16 to 64 with specific health conditions. Until supply increases, individuals in that category are encouraged to speak with their primary care provider about other options to receive a vaccine. ACHD is operating a COVID-19 Vaccine Point of Dispensing (POD) inside the DoubleTree Hotel in Monroeville to provide its limited doses of the Moderna vaccine. The POD is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. and on Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. by appointment only. Those without appointments will be turned away. Individuals 65 and older and eligible healthcare workers can register for appointments for the week of January 25 using the links below: January 25: https://cw2-pennsylvania-production.herokuapp.com/clinic/private_registratio... January 26: https://cw2-pennsylvania-production.herokuapp.com/clinic/private_registratio... January 27: https://cw2-pennsylvania-production.herokuapp.com/clinic/private_registratio... January 28: https://cw2-pennsylvania-production.herokuapp.com/clinic/private_registratio... January 29: https://cw2-pennsylvania-production.herokuapp.com/clinic/private_registratio... January 30: https://cw2-pennsylvania-production.herokuapp.com/clinic/private_registratio... Please note that the vaccine registration system will not work on Internet Explorer but works on other web browsers. Users will be asked about insurance during registration, but insurance is not required for the vaccine. The vaccine will be provided at no cost. The links above connect users to the PrepMod scheduling system used by ACHD and PA DOH. If a vaccination slot is available for a given day, the link will redirect to a page titled “Sign Up for Vaccinations – DoubleTree Monroeville” with the date of the clinic. Individuals will be able to enter their information and select a time for vaccination. Selecting a time for vaccination is the last step of the registration process. After scheduling an appointment, users will receive a confirmation email to the address provided during registration. An email address is not required for registration but is strongly suggested because reminders for second doses will be sent via email. At this time, ACHD does not have the capability to schedule vaccine appointments over the phone. Once that capability becomes available, the Health Department will publicize the phone number. If there are no slots available for a given day, users will be taken to the PA DOH’s Getting the COVID Vaccine guide. This guide contains an eligibility quiz and a map to help individuals locate a vaccine provider. Users may try to find an appointment at the Monroeville POD on another day and may check back often to see if an appointment becomes available. If someone cancels a scheduled appointment, their appointment will be made available. If users cannot keep a vaccination appointment, please cancel or reschedule in order to provide the appointment to someone else. At the POD, individuals will be asked to provide verification of their age, or employment if a healthcare worker. Anyone who is not able to provide verification, who is under 65 or who is not an eligible healthcare worker, will be turned away. Registering for a vaccine appointment when a person knowingly does not fit the criteria takes away appointments from others in the community in need of appointments. It also hinders the Health Department’s vaccination efforts. Individuals are asked not to register for an appointment at the Monroeville POD if they do not meet the criteria. Individuals who received a first dose of the vaccine through a different vaccine provider should not use the links above to schedule a second dose of the vaccine at the Monroeville POD. Instead, contact the vaccination provider that administered the first dose to arrange the second dose. More information about the COVID-19 vaccines and Allegheny County’s vaccination efforts is available at www.alleghenycounty.us/COVIDvaccine. To receive updates about Allegheny County’s vaccination efforts, sign up for the COVID-19 Vaccine Information subscription in Allegheny Alerts at www.alleghenycounty.us/alerts. # # # Debra L. Bogen, MD, Director *Allegheny County Health Department – Public Information Office* 542 Fourth Avenue │ Pittsburgh, PA 15219 Phone: 412-687-ACHD (2243) │ Fax: 412-578-8325 www.alleghenycounty.us/healthdepartment *Follow us:* allegheny alerts <http://www.alleghenycounty.us/alerts>* | * facebook <http://www.facebook.com/AlleghenyCountyHealth>* | *instagram <http://www.instagram.com/alleghenycounty>* | *linkedin <http://www.linkedin.com/company/allegheny-county>* | *twitter <http://twitter.com/HealthAllegheny>* | *youtube <http://www.youtube.com/AlleghenyCounty> -- *Highland Park Community Council* Visit our website by clicking here. <https://hpccpgh.org/>