New Allegheny County COVID-19 vaccine registration site opens, but not without issues

PITTSBURGH — The Allegheny County Health Department’s new Vaccine Registration system is now open to the public.

People seeking vaccine appointments can register online by CLICKING RIGHT HERE.

You’ll have four options when you visit the website:

• Schedule first dose
• Schedule second dose
• Reschedule appointment
• Cancel appointment

If choosing “Schedule first dose,” you will answer four questions, three of which are used to gauge whether you are eligible for vaccination before completing health screening questions. If you are eligible, the next step will be to schedule one.

People scheduling their second dose will need a code. That caused confusion on Thursday because of an email issue, but it’s expected to be resolved Friday, the Health Department said.

Emails sent out on Thursday for people trying to schedule their second dose did not include the necessary code. New, corrected emails were then sent out, but some people got a message that clinics were full or new appointments were unavailable. As a result, the Health Department decided to stop sending emails until sometime Friday, after overnight testing is performed and a fix is made.

First dose appointments and pre-registration are not impacted, the Health Department said.

If you’re not eligible for vaccination, or there are no appointments available, you’ll be invited to pre-register. You’ll then be notified via email or text when you will be able to get the vaccine and schedule an appointment. If you are pre-registered, you’ll be given priority to schedule an appointment 48 hours before remaining appointments are open to the general public.

Anyone not having email can call 211 for assistance in scheduling an appointment daily from 9 a.m. to noon. You’ll also be able to pre-register over the phone if you’re not eligible or there are no available appointments.

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Cox Media Group