First doses of COVID-19 vaccine arrive at Geisinger

Front-line health care workers among first to receive vaccine based on Pennsylvania DOH guidance

WILKES-BARRE/LEWISTOWN, Pa. – Today, the first doses of the initial Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine shipment arrived at Geisinger, including at Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center and Geisinger Lewistown Hospital.

Geisinger plans to begin providing vaccinations at these facilities to eligible employees within 24 hours. We will administer the vaccine as quickly as we can and as quickly as supplies allow. In alignment with Pennsylvania Department of Health and federal guidelines, during this initial phase, we will be providing vaccines to front-line staff whose daily work involves significant interactions with COVID-19 patients and other staff in critical departments.

More vaccine doses from this initial shipment are expected to arrive at Geisinger Medical Center later this week, with the same plans to begin vaccinating eligible employees within 24 hours of arrival.

We trust the rigor and testing applied to the COVID-19 vaccine, and the findings so far give us confidence in the vaccine’s safety and effectiveness. For answers to questions about the vaccine, visit our COVID-19 vaccine resources center at gesinger.org/COVIDvax.

While vaccinations are beginning, it doesn’t mean you should stop following the guidelines that we know work in stopping the spread of the virus. At no time before, during or after receiving a vaccine, should you stop practices like masking, physical distancing and handwashing. It will likely be well into 2021 before enough people are vaccinated to allow for loosening these preventive recommendations.