UPMC teaming up with Penguins to vaccinate 1,000 at PPG Paints Arena

UPMC is teaming up with the Pittsburgh Penguins to vaccinate over 1,000 high-risk individuals during a clinic at PPG Paints Arena on Monday.

The event, which will run from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., is appointment-only. Vaccines will be offered to those in Phase 1A of Pennsylvania’s vaccine rollout strategy who have registered to receive a vaccine through UPMC at Vaccine.UPMC.com.

“We’re really excited about the partnership with the Pittsburgh Penguins,” said UPMC Children’s Hospital President Mark Sevco, who is working on special assignment for UPMC’s vaccination deployment. “We’re grateful to the Penguins for offering their facility and partnership with UPMC.”

During the vaccine clinic, people 65 and older or those with pre-existing conditions that put them in Phase 1A will receive their first dose of the Moderna vaccine, Sevco said. Before patients leave, they’ll schedule a time to return for their second dose four weeks later.

Everyone who is registered for the clinic will get a call from UPMC to explain what they can expect, Sevco said.

Patients will be asked to arrive 15 minutes early. Volunteers will help direct parking or drop-offs at the door, Sevco said.

“As they arrive, they’ll go through a process of checking in to validate they are on the schedule,” Sevco said. “Then we’ll go through an educational process with them, sharing with them the vaccine they are going to get and what to expect. Then they get the shot and we have to observe them for 15 minutes for safety.”

Sevco said the event will run smoothly and will be only the first of many in collaboration with the Penguins.

“We have a lot of volunteers and a lot of free giveaways and special things planned,” he said.

UPMC said it had administered 230,815 covid-19 vaccine doses as of Friday. There are 363,953 people who have added their names to UPMC’s online registration list at Vaccine.UPMC.com — and 50,065 of them are scheduled to receive vaccine doses.

But that still leaves many people anxiously awaiting their turn, Sevco acknowledged. He urged people who want the vaccine and are eligible for it to register online at Vaccine.UPMC.com or over the phone at 844-876-2822.

“If you’re on that list, our promise is to call them and schedule them for an event. It’s a little bit of a wait, but the good news is if you’re registered on our website, we will reach out to you,” Sevco said.

After spending the last year working on the front lines of the covid-19 pandemic, Sevco said, he’s excited to see mass vaccination events ramping up.

“The level of enthusiasm from patients that show up to these clinics is very high,” he said. “It’s really exciting.”