Three more COVID-19 vaccination sites to open in Allegheny County

ALLEGHENY COUNTY, Pa. — The Allegheny County Health Department is opening three more sites where COVID-19 vaccines will be given out.

The vaccination sites will be open by the end of March and include a temporary site in Oakland, a site for targeted outreach in the Central Hill District and a community point of dispensing (POD) in Ross Township.

The sites will be at the following locations:

• Petersen Events Center, through a partnership with the University of Pittsburgh
• Central Baptist Church, through a partnership with the church and the Center for Integrative Health at Duquesne University
• Ross Township Community Center

All sites will be by appointment only. No walk-up registrations will be available.

As appointments become available, they will be announced through Allegheny Alerts and posted on the county’s COVID-19 vaccine webpage (CLICK HERE).

People who do not have Internet access or have difficulty navigating the online registration system may contact 2-1-1 for assistance in scheduling when appointments are available.

The Health Department continues to receive both the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines. As appointments are announced, the notifications will specify which vaccine will be used at each clinic.

Below is what you need to know about each of the three new vaccination sites.

Petersen Events Center

The Petersen Events Center will be used as a vaccination site from March 17 through the end of next week.

Approximately 1,000 vaccinations will be offered a day. Second dose appointments will be provided at the same location in the 28- to 42-day window recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Free parking will be available at the garage at Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hall & Museum off Bigelow Boulevard, with free shuttles between the garage and the Petersen Events Center during the hours of operation. Staff will be at the garage to greet people, conduct temperature checks and help them access the shuttle, which will let them off at the ADA entrance for the Petersen Events Center.

A parking lot near the center will also be available with limited spots for those who drop off others for vaccination and wish to wait in their vehicle.

The Health Department is providing the vaccine, which will be administered by students and faculty from Pitt’s schools of pharmacy, nursing, medicine, dental medicine, health and rehabilitation sciences and graduate school of public health.

Central Baptist Church

A targeted outreach POD will open at Central Baptist Church on Wylie Avenue beginning on March 22.

“The clinic will be used to underscore the county Health Department’s role in addressing gaps in vaccine distribution. The site will have limited vaccinations available which will be used to target specific communities and populations who have not yet been reached through traditional means,” a news release from the Health Department said.

Reverend Victor Grigsby said this particular location will have limited vaccinations — in an effort to vaccinate people who have not been able to get to other locations.

“By landing a vaccine site right here in the heart of the Hill, then its in walking distance and accessible those who are elderly and who have transportation issues,” he said.

According to a county spokesperson, the purpose of this location is to address gaps in vaccine distribution. People of color are disproportionately represented, not just with COVID vaccines, but with health issues in general.

In the past — Tim Stevens, CEO of the Black Political Empowerment Project, has been critical of the county and state, requesting that black Pittsburghers have more vaccination availabilities.

The county has set up clinics in predominantly black neighborhoods in the past. And Stevens feels the Central Church clinic is another step in the right direction.

“What the county has done we salute and applaud, and what we hope is this will be an ongoing thing with Rev. Grigsby and Central Baptist Church will be hosting,” he said.

Ross Township Community Center

The Ross Township Community Center will be a POD site beginning on March 24.

The clinics will be staffed by Health Department staff and members of the Medical Reserve Corps.

“As the Ross site ramps up, the Monroeville POD will be used for second dose only clinics for those who received their first doses there before that POD is phased out. This shift will allow the department to stand up and staff additional locations throughout the county, including the Ross site,” the Health Department’s news release said.

People who live in the community say the more clinics the better.

“I think it’s a great idea the more centers we have, the more people can get vaccinated,” Lashawn Nelson who lives in Bellevue said.

Three more COVID-19 vaccination sites to open in Allegheny County

Cox Media Group