UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Penn State, in collaboration with Penn State Health, will begin administering COVID-19 vaccinations today (Jan. 5) for a select group of health care personnel who are working on campus in Centre County and are identified as part of the “critical workforce” in Pennsylvania’s Phase 1A of the Department of Health’ vaccine distribution plan.
The vaccine doses are designated for use in Centre County and the University has identified 50 employees who meet Pennsylvania Department of Health guidelines to receive the vaccine in Phase 1A. Because availability of the vaccine is limited at this time, the University has selected certain frontline health care employees to receive these doses of the vaccine. This includes caregivers in University Health Services and Occupational Medicine, who are providing care for COVID-19-positive individuals, as well as full-time COVID-19 test site employees.
As vaccine doses become available in other Pennsylvania counties, the University is working with health care providers to procure doses for Phase 1A employees at other Penn State locations across the commonwealth. Penn State health care employees in other counties will receive information on local vaccine availability as it becomes available.
The vaccinations in Centre County are a critical step toward bringing students back to campus later in the spring semester. Beyond the University, other medical staff and health care providers are receiving the vaccine, including at Penn State Health, Mount Nittany Medical Center and other providers.
All staff who receive the vaccine will be required to continue to follow public health guidelines, including masking, physical distancing, avoiding large gatherings, and maintaining proper hygiene.
At this time, the Food and Drug Administration has authorized two COVID-19 vaccines for emergency use: the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine and the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine. The Pennsylvania Department of Health has established a phased vaccine rollout for the commonwealth and information about vaccine safety and availability can be found the Department of Health website.
As additional information regarding vaccine distribution becomes available, the University will share updates on Penn State News and Penn State’s Virus Information website. Individuals also can call the COVID-19 Response Center at 814-865-2121 for specific questions.