Getting vaccinated: What you need to know

How many people have been vaccinated?

In Pennsylvania, nearly 520,000 people — mostly health care workers — had received at least one vaccine dose as of Saturday. Of those people, 106,000 are fully vaccinated, state data show.

However, those figures don’t include long-term care residents and staff being vaccinated via a federal pharmacy partnership, nor vaccinations being administered in Philadelphia County, which is handling its own vaccine distribution operation.

Who can get vaccinated?

The state still has many people in its initial prioritization phase who have yet to be vaccinated.

Phase 1A includes long-term care facility residents and health care workers, including doctors, nurses, dentists, chiropractors, therapists, pharmacists, clinical workers in prisons and schools, technicians, medics and employees in direct support roles such as those working in laundry, security and maintenance.

Last week, the state added to Phase 1A two more groups: anyone 65 or older; and those ages 16-64 with high-risk conditions, including cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, diabetes, a history of smoking and many others, in line with federal guidance.

Does being eligible guarantee me a spot?

Not necessarily. The supply isn’t big enough to cover everyone, and health care workers as well as long-term care residents are being vaccinated through next month.

How do I sign up?

Pennsylvania does not have a centralized scheduling system for covid-19 vaccines.

Instead, officials are asking people to use a map provided on the state’s website to find a provider with vaccines available, then directly contact the provider online or by phone to request and schedule an appointment.

Providers include health systems such as UPMC, Excela and Allegheny Health Network as well as Giant Eagle and other independent pharmacies, urgent care centers, doctor’s offices and county health departments. Allegheny County opened its vaccine clinic in Monroeville to a limited number of appointments for any 65 and older starting Monday.

A vaccination card will be issued that includes a reminder to return for a second dose.

I had covid and recovered. Should I still get vaccinated?

Yes, according to health officials. The state health department acknowledges that getting infected with covid-19 may result in “some natural protection, known as immunity.”

”But experts don’t know how long this protection lasts, and the risk of severe illness and death from covid-19 far outweighs any benefits of natural immunity,” the department says. “Covid-19 vaccination will help protect you by creating an antibody response without having to experience sickness.”

Will I be forced to get a vaccine?

No. Officials say the state health department has no plans to make getting vaccinated for covid-19 mandatory.

Can kids get vaccinated?

Not yet. Aside from supply issues, the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines — the only two options available so far — have not yet been approved for anyone younger than 16.

Will there be any side effects?

Many people report no side effects of getting vaccinated, though experiencing some minor ones may be “normal signs that your body is building protection,” the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says.

The most common side effects have been people reporting pain and swelling of the arm where they received the vaccine shot, along with fever, chills, fatigue and headaches. Health officials say people should consult a doctor if such symptoms do not go away within a few days.

In rare cases, people have had severe allergic reactions, in which case one should call 911 immediately. Recipients should be monitored by health professionals at their vaccine distribution site for at least 15 minutes after getting the shot.

Learn more about the process for ensuring the safety and effectiveness of vaccines and what goes into their development on the CDC’s website.

When will the vaccine supply increase?

It’s unclear, though President Biden has set a goal of at least 1 million vaccinations per day, and the pace has been ramping up in recent weeks.

Four more vaccines are in production. Two-dose vaccines are in the works by drug manufacturers AstraZeneca, Inovio, Novavax. Johnson & Johnson is producing a vaccine option that will require only a single dose.

In the meantime, officials urged everyone to continue to wear masks, wash hands, use hand sanitizer social distance and avoid gatherings.

“We anticipate it will take significant time to get through the vaccination phases and have community spread go down significantly,” Ciccocioppo said. “Until that time, we need everyone to continue all of the safety measures that are in effect now.”

How can I get more information?

Reach the Pennsylvania Department of Health’s hotline at 1-877-724-3258 or find more information on the department’s website.

To submit feedback to the state about the vaccination process, fill out this online form.

For regional vaccination efforts organized by the Allegheny County Health Department, go to www.alleghenycounty.us/COVIDvaccine or sign-up for updates at www.alleghenycounty.us/alerts.