New vaccine appointments are available to citizens who meet Phase 1A and 1B criteria, as well as veterans, their spouses, and their caregivers, according to two independent press releases from the Lebanon County Commissioners and the Lebanon VA Medical Center.
The commissioners’ announcement on April 5 stated that over 4,000 new vaccine appointments were available at the start of the week to register for from the sign-up page hosted by the Lebanon County Department of Emergency Services (LCDES). That includes people who meet Phases 1A and 1B criteria for vaccine availability. At the start of next week, April 12, those considered to be part of Phase 1C will also be able to sign up for appointments.
Walk-in appointments are not available; however, any and all information on scheduling an appointment at the county’s mass vaccination center can be found here. Phone numbers for scheduling appointments with either CNS Occupational Medicine or WellSpan Health are 1-800-551-9816 and 1-855-851-3641, respectively. Both providers have been operating at the county’s mass vaccination facility at 1745 Quentin Road, Lebanon, which opened in mid-March.
Residents who are considered part of Phase 1A, as listed in the release, the county vaccination page, and the PA state website, include essential workers in the healthcare industry as well as firefighters, law enforcement officers, teachers, grocery store workers, and food/agricultural workers; these latter occupations were added to the 1A list on March 31.
Phase 1B includes those ages 65 and over as well as people from ages 16 through 64 with high-risk medical conditions such as obesity, a history of smoking, pregnancy, diabetes, and a compromised immune system, among others. Phase 1C includes manufacturing workers, public transit workers, educational workers, and others.
Vaccines open for veterans, spouses, caregivers
The Lebanon VA Medical Center’s release, also sent out on April 5, announced that the Saving Lives Act of 2021 expanded eligibility to all veterans (defined as “anyone who has served in the US military regardless of VA enrollment status, activation, or discharge”).
The legislation also expands this eligibility to spouses of veterans (including through official marriage, common-law marriage, and widows or widowers of veterans) and caregivers that provide help to veterans in routine tasks like shopping or personal needs like bathing, dressing, or feeding. The caregiver does not need to be a family member to be eligible.
The VA Center is vaccinating its enrolled veterans as well as those not enrolled who are still eligible under the Saving Lives Act. To schedule a vaccination appointment with the Center, call (717) 228-5965 or (717) 272-6621 ext. 5965. The vaccination will take place at the Lebanon VAMC Vaccine Clinic in Building 24 on the campus at 1700 South Lincoln Avenue in Lebanon or at the closest VA Community Clinic, provided vaccines are available at the time. Following scheduling, a VA enrollment specialist will contact the appointee to complete pre-registration.
Vaccination scheduling information can also be found at this link.
Early arrival to the appointment is not needed. At the appointment time, appointees will fill out a registration form and provide information on their relation to the veteran as well as whether or not they are enrolled in VA healthcare.
On April 19, the state will open vaccine eligibility to everyone.
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