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NOTE: The following information was published December 29, 2020. For current COVID-19 vaccine information, visit LVHN.org/vaccines.
To help ensure everyone in our community has access to the COVID-19 vaccination, Lehigh Valley Health Network (LVHN) will provide vaccinations without charge once vaccinations become available for wide distribution. The decision was announced today by Brian A. Nester, DO, MBA, President and CEO for LVHN
“We believe it is essential that all citizens have an opportunity to receive a COVID-19 vaccination, and cost should not be a barrier,” Nester says. “We will offer this vaccine free of charge to the community so we can help ensure everyone can receive this protective shot to help end the pandemic.”
The vaccine is not yet available to the public. Providing the COVID-19 vaccine to the public will occur in the coming months when supplies are made available for mass vaccination. The plan is determined by the Pennsylvania Department of Health’s phased approach to vaccination. You can learn more at the state’s website at Health.pa.gov. “Our LVHN team is actively working on logistics so we are ready to go once supplies are ready,” Nester says.
We are still in Phase 1 of the state’s plan, focused on vaccinating frontline health care providers. LVHN has vaccinated about 8,000 front-line staff, more than any other health provider in the region. The network continues to vaccinate our health care workers as quickly and safely as possible as the vaccine arrives to ensure they are able to care for our patients and the public. LVHN received an additional 9,000 doses today and will use them as quickly as possible to vaccinate LVHN health care providers and medical staff, and EMS so that we can move deeper into the community when supplies permit.
Currently, two COVID-19 vaccines have been given emergency use authorization by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, one from Pfizer/BioNTech and the other from Moderna. Additional vaccine candidates are in various stages of review.
For more details about when the vaccine will be available for the community at LVHN, and how to obtain a second dose, the community is encouraged to sign up for MyLVHN, LVHN’s patient portal that is powered by Epic. “MyLVHN will provide a convenient way to learn about COVID-19 vaccination events as they are scheduled,” Nester says.
Sign up online at MyLVHN.org or through the free MyLVHN app for Apple and Android devices. You also can learn more about MyLVHN at LVHN.org/MyLVHN.