ALLENTOWN, Pa. – April 12 opens the door for people in Pennsylvania who are under Stage 1C to get their COVID-19 vaccine. That accounts for 1.3 to 1.7 million essential employees in the hospitality industry, public safety and several others.
To date, 4.1 million Pennsylvanians have received at least one dose of the vaccine, representing 36% of the state population. 2.3 million people are fully vaccinated.
“It’s a good sign that demand for the vaccine remains high here in Pennsylvania because the more people get vaccinated, the sooner we can stop the virus,” said Lindsey Mauldin, senior adviser to the Pennsylvania secretary of health.
The problem was whether the supply will meet the high demand. The weekly allocation of the state and federal governments is steadily increasing.
“I think this is the one thing we can all do together to make a difference in this pandemic. It gives us the opportunity to change it,” said Sarah Rinker, an infection prevention specialist at Lehigh Valley Health Network.
The Lehigh Valley Health Network has hosted drive-thru clinics and opened pop-ups across the region. Finding locations was a challenge, but they are seizing the opportunity by using empty box stores.
“By opening it up more widely, we can give vaccine to people who really want and need it. It will make it a lot easier for us to get it to them now that we’re in these bigger places,” Rinker said.
Starting Monday, a former Sears Appliance store in Northampton Crossings shopping center in Lower Nazareth Township will be a vaccination site, along with a former AC Moore on MacArthur Road in Whitehall. Vaccinations at these locations are by appointment only.
Pennsylvania’s next big date in the race to get everyone vaccinated is April 19. Then everyone aged 16 and older is eligible for the vaccine.