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DANVILLE &mdash; Geisinger said that it has vaccinated more than 10,000 people in the fight against COVID-19.
				The announcement came on Monday via a press release from the healthcare company, which said the first dose of the vaccine continues to be administered to a growing list of healthcare workers and EMS professionals &ldquo;as quickly as supplies, staffing and Department of Health guidelines allow.&rdquo;
				Geisinger says it is administering both the Pfizer BioNTech and Moderna vaccines, beginning to administer it to its employees in mid-December. So far, approximately 40% of Geisinger&rsquo;s 24,000 employees have received the first dose.
				Additionally, Geisinger said it is using 10% of its vaccine doses for non-Geisinger employees who the Department of Health designate as phase 1A healthcare workers, including EMS workers and community providers.
				Geisinger said it is likely going to be &ldquo;well into the year&rdquo; before the vaccine becomes widely available to non-healthcare members of the public, but said Geisinger is taking the steps to make it easy to receive both doses, including providing the vaccine at no cost to patients.
				Geisinger recommends all the standard mitigation efforts in the meantime.
				With nearly 24,000 employees spanning across Pennsylvania, about 40 percent of Geisinger staff have received the first dose of the vaccine.
				Annmarie Poslock, vice president of marketing and communications at Commonwealth Health, said more than 50% of the medical staff members and patient-facing staff have been vaccinated at this time.
				&ldquo;We are continuing to vaccinate Phase 1 recipients which now also include Emergency Medical Services (EMS),&rdquo; Poslock said. &ldquo;We expect to work closely with the health department to determine how vaccines will be distributed to the next eligible groups in our community and to the larger general public over time.&rdquo;
				Additionally, in line with the Pennsylvania Department of Health order to vaccinate certain health care personnel, Geisinger is using 10 percent of its vaccine for non-Geisinger employees who the health department defines as phase 1A health care personnel. This includes EMS workers and community providers who give inpatient care. Geisinger has been reaching out to these workers and providers to coordinate vaccinations.

Geisinger, W-B General have administered thousands of vaccines