Allegheny County To Open Second Coronavirus Vaccination Site

UPDATED 12:35 p.m. Saturday: All online appointments for the Castle Shannon site for next week are filled.

Appointments were taken within the first 10 minutes. The volume on the website also crashed the site for a short period of time. It has since been restored.

Registration by phone opens on Tuesday at 9 AM for those without internet access who are 65 and over only. Appointments have been set aside for those needing to register by phone – again, no internet access – and can be secured by calling 211 beginning at 9 a.m. on Tuesday.

Additional appointments will be opened when additional vaccine supply is available.

The health department receives about 11 percent of the vaccine shipped to providers in the county. Individuals seeking appointments are encouraged to visit the state’s website for links and information.

Appointments at the Monroeville and Castle Shannon vaccination sites are required. No walk-ins are allowed and those without appointments will be turned away, as will those who are not 65 and over, regardless of appointment.

PITTSBURGH, PA — The Allegheny County Health Department announced Friday it will open its second coronavirus vaccination site in the Castle Shannon Fire Department Banquet Hall on Library Road. The site will be staffed by Allegheny County Emergency Services workers trained in the handling and administration of the vaccine.

The appointment-only facility will open Feb. 16. Appointments will be available to those 65 years and older only. There will be no on-site registration or walk-up appointments. Any person arriving at the site without an appointment, or who is not 65 and older, will be turned away.

Individuals 65 years and older will be able to register for appointments online beginning at 9 a.m. Saturday. Links will be published at that time on the Health Department’s COVID-19 Vaccine Information website and sent through Allegheny Alerts.

Phone registration will be available beginning at 9 aa.m. on Tuesday by calling 211. Appointments over the phone are intended for those who do not have access to a computer or the internet or who have difficulty navigating the online registration system and will be reserved for callers meeting that criteria.

As with the Monroeville vaccination site, the Moderna vaccine will be used in Castle Shannon. Individuals who receive their first dose there will receive information about registering for their second dose about 10 days before that dose is due.

The health department anticipates that online appointments will fill quickly, and callers to 211 should expect lengthy wait times as the phone registration process can take up to 20 minutes.

The Castle Shannon site will remain open as long as the department has enough vaccine to support its operation. As the department’s supply of vaccine increases, the Health Department intends to open more community points of dispensing.