Eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine? Here’s how to schedule an appointment in Centre County
People 65 or older and younger people with serious health conditions that put them at higher risk may be able to get the COVID-19 vaccine as early as next week in Centre County.
Centre Volunteers in Medicine is the first to inoculate those who meet the eligibility requirements that were expanded Wednesday by the state Health Department.
“Our hearts are overjoyed. We’ve literally sat in directors’ meetings and had tears coming out of our eyes because we are able to do this for our community,” Development Director Monica Wright said Friday. “Words can’t express how we feel that we’re able to do this for everybody in our community. Not just front-line workers or medical workers, anyone and everyone who fits into those categories.”
The free medical clinic plans to inoculate 100 people Friday, along with another 100 people Monday. All appointments are already booked and will exhaust the group’s allotment, Wright said.
The group applied for additional Moderna vaccines, which Wright said she anticipates arriving “by the middle to the end of next week.”
Those interested in receiving the vaccine can add their name to a waiting list by completing an application form online at cvim.net/covid-vaccination. Applications are accepted on a first-come, first-served basis.
Wright discouraged people from calling the clinic to apply, saying calls have inundated volunteers and limited other patients from being able to efficiently access care.
Mount Nittany Health doesn’t expect to be far behind in more widely distributing vaccinations.
The health care system is in the final stages of vaccinating more than 3,400 health care personnel in Centre County, a process scheduled to wrap up at the end of January and exhaust its supply of the vaccine.
The county’s only hospital plans to launch an online self-scheduling system by Jan. 29, a spokesperson wrote in a statement. Pending the arrival of additional vaccines, the hospital plans to open appointments the first week of February.
The no-cost vaccines are scheduled to be administered at the hospital, 1800 E. Park Ave. Those eligible can schedule appointments at mountnittany.org/coronavirus.
Underlying medical conditions now eligible under phase 1A include cancer, chronic kidney disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, Down syndrome, heart conditions, those who are immunocompromised, obesity, pregnancy, sickle cell disease, smoking and Type 2 diabetes.
Patients can sign up for vaccines administered by Geisinger by visiting geisinger.org/COVIDvax.
This story was originally published January 22, 2021 at 11:32 AM.