Allegheny County to administer Pfizer vaccine at Castle Shannon site

The Allegheny County Health Department will start administering the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine at its Castle Shannon distribution site next week.

County officials said the health department received four trays of the Pfizer vaccine to be used for first doses. Appointments are required to receive a dose — and individuals must be aged 65 and older, due to limited vaccine supply.

Second-dose clinics for the Moderna vaccine are also being scheduled this week for people who had gotten their first dose at the department’s Monroeville distribution site between Feb. 1-4. Emails with links containing second-dose registration links will be sent out this week to those individuals. The second-dose clinic will also take place in Monroeville between March 1-4.

Delays in vaccine delivery last week, because of winter storms across the U.S., had set back some of the health department’s vaccine operations. County officials said those points of dispensing for other Phase 1A health care and front-line staff that had been scheduled for last week have been rescheduled. The initiative for vaccinating residents in senior housing will restart next week.

People who missed their first-dose appointments because of the weather will also be contacted by the health department to reschedule.

The county is also readjusting appointments due to a statewide shortage of Moderna vaccine, after some providers spent weeks giving out dedicated second-dose shots as first doses. County officials said people who received their first dose of Moderna vaccine in Monroeville on Feb. 5-6 will receive an email next week with information about their second-dose appointments.

“While those appointments may not be available on the 28th day, all individuals will receive their second dose within the CDC-recommended guidance of up to six weeks after the first dose,” officials said.

Online links will be made available Friday morning, for first-dose appointments at the Castle Shannon VFD Banquet Hall at 3600 Library Road.

Appointments can also be made through the county’s 2-1-1 line starting at 9 a.m. Friday.