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COVID-19 vaccinations underway for people 65+ through health department

ALLEGHENY COUNTY, Pa — COVID-19 vaccinations are under way for people aged 65 and older at the Allegheny County Health Department’s Monroeville clinic. The vaccinations started Monday by appointment only. Within 10 minutes of the department’s announcement, all available appointments were scheduled.

According to ACHD, appointments are extremely limited as the department continues to vaccinate eligible healthcare workers and those returning for their second shot. Approximately 400 people are being vaccinated each day, said county spokeswoman Amie Downs. There are no available slots lefts this week.

“They filled within minutes of being opened last week,” Downs said.

[Here is how to stay informed about coronavirus updates from WPXI]

The shots will be given at the DoubleTree Hotel in Monroeville. The clinic will be open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. and on Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. by appointment only. Those without appointments will be turned away.

Those people who received their first dose Monday said the process was extremely simple and organized.

They called it a real game changer.

“I’m not only doing it for myself. I’m doing it for the community because if we all get these vaccines we can help stop the spread and maybe stop some of the fear that people have about getting it also,” said Christine Mikuta of Washington.

The vaccine registration system will not work on Internet Explorer but works on other web browsers. Other browsers include Chrome, FireFox and Safari. Users will be asked about insurance during registration, but it is not required for the vaccine. The vaccine will be provided at no cost.

If a vaccination slot is available for a given day, the link will redirect to a page title “Sign Up for Vaccinations - DoubleTree Monroeville” with the date of the clinic. Individuals will be able to enter their information and select a time for vaccination. After scheduling an appointment, users will receive a confirmation email to the address provided during registration.

Use these links to check if there are any cancellations or open spots for an appointment:

An email address is not required for registration but is strongly encouraged because reminders for the second dose will be sent via email. At this time, ACHD does not have the capability to schedule vaccine appointments over the phone.

If you cannot keep a vaccination appointment, please cancel or reschedule in order to provide the appointment to someone else.

Did you have trouble booking an appointment? Channel 11′s Liz Kilmer pushed the county for answers. Click here to watch the full story.

At the clinic, you’ll be asked to provide verification of your age or employment if a health care worker. Anyone who is not able to provide verification, who is under 65 or who is not an eligible health care worker will be turned away

ACHD is not able to provide the vaccine to people aged 16 to 64 with serious health conditions at this time.