Allegheny County adds new vaccine distribution location for priority populations

The Allegheny County Health Department on Monday announced a new distribution location for covid-19 vaccines, and the county is expected to release the first version of its distribution plan on Wednesday.

The new Point of Distribution (POD) will be for health care organizations and facilities in the Phase 1A category, referring to distribution guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Phase 1A includes health care workers and residents and workers in long-term care facilities.

The new distribution point will be at DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Pittsburgh – Monroeville Convention Center. The new POD will operate in addition to the department’s first location, in Downtown Pittsburgh.

More than 700 organizations have requested vaccination through the county health department, officials said. The health department has asked organizations and solo practitioners in Phase 1A to submit information through an online form, and the department also is reaching out to potentially eligible organizations.

As doses of the vaccines become available, organizations will be notified and given information about how employees can register an appointment, officials said.

Those who do not fall into the Phase 1A priority group are asked to wait and submit a form at “a later time.” Phase 1B will follow 1A, and will include first responders, front line essential workers and individuals over the age of 75.

During a covid-19 update earlier in the day, Pennsylvania Health Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine said there is no way of knowing when the state will move to Phase 1B.

“It will totally depend on how much vaccine we get,” Levine said.

Meanwhile, vaccinations in long-term care facilities will continue to be handled through a federal partnership with CVS Pharmacy and Walgreens. The county health department said any facilities who are not enrolled in the program will be partnered with a vaccine-provider by the Pennsylvania Department of Health.