DuBois, PA – An update from Penn Highlands about how COVID-19 vaccinations are going.
Mark Norman, CEO of Penn Highlands, says they’re getting consistent numbers of vaccine doses, but now fewer people are interested in receiving it… either because they have already received it, aren’t eligible, or otherwise don’t want it.
That means that if you are eligible and you want the vaccine, there’s more of it to go around.
Just call the Penn Highlands vaccine hotline and they can help schedule an appointment if you’re in Phase 1A. Call 814-503-4735 or sign up on the Penn Highlands website.
More people are eligible in Phase 1A than you might think. This includes anyone over 65, healthcare workers, and people with specific medical conditions… one of which is obesity. Many people might fall into the obesity category and qualify for Phase 1A and not even realize it.
CLICK HERE to visit the Penn Highlands COVID-19 vaccine website, learn more, and schedule an appointment.
Even if you aren’t in Phase 1A, you can still put yourself on a waitlist to be contacted if there are extra vaccine doses.
Who is eligible under Phase 1A?
Phase 1A is the first vaccine distribution step. The vaccine is currently being distributed to:
Long-term care facility residents
Health care personnel including, but not limited to:
Emergency medical service personnel
Nurses
Nursing assistants
Physicians
Dentists
Dental hygienists
Chiropractors
Therapists
Phlebotomists
Pharmacists
Technicians
Pharmacy technicians
Health professions students and trainees
Direct support professionals
Clinical personnel in school settings or correctional facilities
Contractual HCP not directly employed by the health care facility
Persons not directly involved in patient care but potentially exposed to infectious material that can transmit disease among or from health care personnel and patients
Persons ages 65 and older
Persons ages 16-64 with high-risk conditions:
Cancer
Chronic kidney disease
COPD
Down Syndrome
Heart conditions, such as heart failure, coronary artery disease, or cardiomyopathies
Immunocompromised state (weakened immune system) from solid organ transplant or from blood or bone marrow transplant, immune deficiencies, HIV, use of corticosteroids, or use of other immune weakening medicines
Obesity (body mass index [BMI] of 30 kg/m2 or higher but < 40 kg/m2)
Severe Obesity (BMI ≥ 40 kg/m2)
Pregnancy
Sickle cell disease
Smoking
Type 2 diabetes mellitus
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Dr. Shaun Sheehan, leader of the COVID-19 task force at Penn Highlands, says positivity rates are increasing again in our area.
Although many people have been able to become at least partially vaccinated, remember that you don’t gain much of the immunity until your second dose and even then there is the chance that you might be able to spread covid to someone who is unvaccinated.
Now is not the time to let our guard down, especially now that we’ve seen numbers start to rise again.
Listen to the full teleconference call, organized by Penn Highlands Healthcare officials. Although reporters were not allowed to ask live questions during the call, media outlets were able to send in questions beforehand.
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