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We are now more than a month into vaccinating Pennsylvanians against COVID-19, and shots are available to more of our neighbors than when my last column was published.
				Last week, the state announced they were moving people age 65 and older and those 16-64 with high risk medical conditions into Tier 1A. In alignment with that update, hospitals and health systems began offering appointments for those groups as vaccine supply and logistics allowed.
				Phase 1A groups now include:
				&#8226; Healthcare workers
				&#8226; People age 65 and older
				&#8226; People age 16-64 with high-risk medical conditions, including:
				&#8226; Cancer
				&#8226; Chronic kidney disease
				&#8226; COPD
				&#8226; Down Syndrome
				&#8226; Heart conditions (e.g., heart failure, coronary artery disease, cardiomyopathy)
				&#8226; Weakened immune system (from solid organ/blood/bone marrow transplant, immune deficiencies, HIV, use of corticosteroids or other immunity-weakening medicines)
				&#8226; Obesity (body mass index [BMI] of &#8805; 30 kg/m2) or severe obesity (BMI &#8805; 40 kg/m2)
				&#8226; Pregnancy
				&#8226; Sickle cell disease
				&#8226; Smoking
				&#8226; Type 2 diabetes
				Appointments are required to receive the vaccine and can be made online using myGeisinger. A questionnaire must be completed prior to scheduling to ensure eligibility and for health screening purposes. Those receiving the vaccine must bring to their appointments identification that verifies their eligibility as part of the state&rsquo;s Phase 1A groups (certificate, license etc.) and a valid driver&rsquo;slicense.
				If you&rsquo;ve been cared for by Geisinger or have Geisinger Health Plan insurance, but don&rsquo;t have a myGeisinger account, you can create one online and get more information about vaccines at Geisinger.org/covidvax. Those who haven&rsquo;t been cared for by Geisinger and don&rsquo;t have Geisinger Health Plan insurance, or anyone under the age of 18, can call 570-284-3657 for help setting up an account.
				With availability opening to these groups, demand for vaccines is staggering. As last week ended, Geisinger had already administered about 30,000 vaccines, with thousands more reaching patients every day. Incredibly, more than 80,000 new vaccine appointments were scheduled in just the first few days following the state&rsquo;s expansion of Phase 1A last Tuesday.
				This demand may lead to increased online traffic and high call volumes, so we encourage all who are eligible to try to schedule online first, relying on the call center only if they are unable to set up a myGeisinger account. We also ask for your patience as we work as quickly as possible to vaccinate all who are eligible, and we suggest you check back regularly for newly opened appointments.
				As a reminder, both Pfizer and Moderna vaccines require two doses, and anyone scheduling should be prepared to commit to a follow-up appointment for their second dose.
				On an encouraging note, we&rsquo;re also well into administering second doses to Geisinger employees, with about 7,000 second doses already administered. And roughly 65 percent of our workforce has at least received a first dose. This has the dual benefit of keeping our healthcare providers healthy and ready to take care of our communities and reducing the transmission of COVID-19 in our hospitals and clinics.
				All of this is hopeful news, and I&rsquo;ll keep you updated as vaccines become available to more people in our community. But we cannot forget to each do our part to stop the spread of COVID-19. Our best defense against the virus is to continue wearing our masks, washing our hands regularly, and staying more than six feet from anyone who lives outside our households.
				Stay safe, and keep checking back for available vaccine appointments.

COVID vaccines reaching more across state