Getty Pharmacist prepares a dose of the AstraZeneca/Oxford Covid-19 vaccine.
A COVID-19 vaccine registration website unveiled by the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) is touted for streamlining the process of getting vaccinated against the coronavirus and knowing when it’s your turn to get the shots.
UPMC’s vaccination website allows people to register for the COVID-19 vaccine if you are in the eligible category. On Monday, February 22, 2021, Pennsylvanians who fall under the 1-A category are eligible for vaccinations. Register to be vaccinated here.
Here’s what you need to know:
Pennsylvanians in Phase 1A Can Register for Vaccinations on the COVID-19 Registration Website
Pennsylvania is operating under a multiphase approach to vaccinations based on risk factors and exposure. Those who are currently eligible are in the first vaccination phase, 1-A.
“As part of Pennsylvania’s phase 1a of the vaccination effort, we are currently vaccinating UPMC and non-UPMC health care workers, seniors who live in our skilled nursing facilities, and community members who are the most vulnerable to COVID-19,” UPMC said. “These community members include older adults and other high-risk populations including neighborhoods that have the highest burden of COVID-19 illness and limited access to medical care and services.”
Registering does not mean that you will immediately receive a vaccine. It places you on a waiting list, and UPMC will contact you to schedule an appointment once you are eligible. UPMC asked that only those who are currently eligible for a vaccination, or those who are in Phase 1A, register on the website.
“We strongly believe in vaccination,” UPMC wrote on its website. “If people can get vaccinated more quickly through another source, we encourage them to do so and to be sure they receive their second dose from the same location. The more people who can be vaccinated, the better we can protect our communities.”
Who Is Eligible to Be Vaccinated Now? What Phase Are We On & Who Is In Phase 1A?
Who is in Phase 1A for the COVID vaccine? The current vaccination phase includes those 65 and older, long-term care facility residents, healthcare workers, and people ages 16 to 64 with certain medical conditions.
Here is the full list of those who are eligible for vaccinations under 1A, from the Pennsylvania Department of Health:
– 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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