Pa. health officials visit Youngwood pharmacy to boost covid vaccine efforts

The 25,000 covid-19 vaccines delivered over the past year by a Westmoreland County community pharmacy were lauded Wednesday by acting Pennsylvania Health Secretary Keara Klinepeter.

However, there is still work to be done in a county that ranks 27th in Pennsylvania in percentage of residents fully vaccinated, according to state data. Westmoreland ranks 11th in the state for population size.

Klinepeter, who said she and Pennsylvania’s physician general, Dr. Denise Johnson, have a shared background in rural health, encouraged residents to get their vaccination or booster shots.

“Dr. Johnson and I are particularly keen to address vaccine hesitancy in rural populations, which is part of why we’re here today,” Klinepeter said inside Hayden’s Pharmacy’s Youngwood location. “Unfortunately, we’re not out of this yet, and it really does take everybody’s part, even in our rural counties and especially in our rural counties. Our rural hospital front-line health care workers are struggling under this surge, and it’s predominantly the unvaccinated who are ending up in the hospital.”

Pharmacist Ed Christofano said he was honored Klinepeter selected his spot to deliver the message. Hayden’s Pharmacy has locations in Youngwood, Donegal and Mt. Pleasant. Christofano and staff members there have been instrumental in distributing the immunizations through regular community clinics.

“We have a great team of associates that have been walking this path with me since the beginning. We’ve been doing this for a year,” he said. “We’ve done over 25,000 vaccines. I can’t tell you how humbling it’s been for me as a pharmacist, but, without my team, this wouldn’t have been possible.”

In Westmoreland County, nearly 193,000 residents are considered fully protected by the covid-19 vaccine, about 58% of the total population. About 86,000 have gotten a booster shot. The state average is 61%.

In the three months since a pediatric vaccine for children ages 5 to 11 was approved, about 4,000 Westmoreland County children have been fully protected, according to state figures.

“We do still see people coming in for their booster shots as well as first and second shots,” Christofano said.

A covid inoculation for children younger than 5 has not yet been authorized for emergency use, though the Associated Press reported this week it could be coming soon as Pfizer started submitting data for that age group to the Food and Drug Administration.

There are about 16,000 children in Westmoreland 5 and younger, according to census data.

If shots for the youngest children are approved, Christofano said he will be able to roll out appointments just as he did in November when the immunization was OK’d for children ages 5 to 11.

In advance of Wednesday’s visit from Klinepeter, Christofano said he cleared out a couple shelving units to make space for her, a podium and chairs for media. During the news conference, the North Fourth Street pharmacy’s phone jingled and employees checked out customers.

Klinepeter reiterated the need for testing, vaccinations and masking as mitigation efforts against the virus and encouraged vaccinations and boosters as a way to help those in health care. The rate of new cases reached a peak in mid-January, the highest numbers since the pandemic started in March 2020, according to state data. Hospitalizations in Westmoreland County remain high but appear to be declining.

To schedule a vaccine through the pharmacy, visit haydenspharmacy.com/covid-19-vaccine.

“We want to educate people, let them understand what’s going on. They’re seeing the real effects of the last wave of the variant coming through,” Christofano said. “Maybe that’s the deciding factor that they should get the vaccine and make the right choice. By having the vaccine available, we hope to accommodate them whenever they’re ready.”