Mass vaccination center opens Thursday in Franklin County: What you need to know
About 1,000 people are expected to get a COVID-19 vaccination by early next week at Franklin County's first and only mass vaccination center.
The new center at the former Burlington store at Chambersburg Mall, located off of Interstate 81 Exit 20, will be open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. This Thursday, April 22, is the first day.
People must have an appointment in order to be vaccinated. Walk-ins will receive assistance to schedule an appointment at a later time.
As it has with other counties in southcentral Pennsylvania, WellSpan Health worked with Franklin County government and the emergency services department to open the vaccination center.
"The goal here is to continue to increase the number of folks who are getting the vaccine so that we can get back to some sense of normalcy in terms of our economy, kids getting educated, people just getting to live their lives the way that we all would like to and get back to living," Franklin County Commissioner Dave Keller said during a preview of the facility on Wednesday.
WellSpan Health, which uses the Pfizer vaccine, has administered about 250,000 doses so far in its five-county region, according to Stephanie Andreozzi, co-leader of WellSpan Health's vaccination team. About 27,000 of those have been given in Franklin County.
Including all vaccine administrators, more than 29,700 people in the county have been fully vaccinated and just over 11,000 had received one dose as of Wednesday afternooon, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health. Statewide, almost 2.9 million have been fully vaccinated.
“We know there is still work to do," Andreozzi said. "Our goal is to get the highest percent of our community vaccinated as possible. And sites like this are just one option that we have within our communities to allow that happen."
WellSpan operates about 20 vaccination sites around the region. Its operations model "is efficient and effective at vaccinating large numbers of our community in a way that maintains social distancing and safety," Andreozzi said.
About 1,000 people will be vaccinated in the first three days the center is open, she added. Currently, WellSpan administers about 2,000 doses every week at its medical facilities in the county.
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How will the vaccination center work?
When you arrive at Chambersburg Mall for a vaccination, use Entrance 1. It is located in the southeast corner of the mall and is easily accessible from the secondary driveway south of the Dollar General off Black Gap Road.
You will be greeted by a "patient ambassador" as you make your way in from the parking lot, then complete a COVID-19 screening.
A second patient ambassador will meet you in the long hallway as you approach the entrance of the vaccination center. You will do a temperature screen and receive a packet that provides information from the government on the Pfizer vaccine and information from WellSpan Health on what you can expect after getting the shot.
After entering the vaccination center, you will go to the registration table. Here you will give identification and receive the Centers for Disease Control card showing you received the first (or second) dose of the Pfizer vaccine.
Next, you will either go to the waiting area or, if one is already open, one of the eight vaccination stations.
Once you've been vaccinated, you will need to wait in the observation area for 15-30 minutes.
For most people, the whole process will take 20-30 minutes. It could take up to about 45 minutes for those who are asked to stay for 30 minutes of observation.
There's one more step you will be encouraged to take before you leave: Stop at the "selfie station," fill out the "I'm getting my Shot of Hope because..." sign, and take a photo to post on social media to show off your vaccination status and encourage others to get the shot.
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How do I schedule an appointment?
Everyone age 16 and older is eligible to get the COVID-19 vaccine.
There are two ways to set up an appointment to get vaccinated at the Chambersburg Mall site.
If you have a MyWellSpan account, its best to schedule the appointment that way.
You can also call WellSpan's COVID-19 hotline: 855-851-3641. Andreozzi said staffers have been added to the call team to prevent long wait times.
New appointment times will be made available on a rolling weekly basis. "That encourages people to sign up sooner rather than later and allows us to fully utilize the staff we got here," Andreozzi said.
Appointments for each day the center is open will close at 3 p.m. the day before. This allows staff at Chambersburg Hospital to prepare the needed doses and have them transported to the center.
Everyone who gets their first dose at the vaccination center will have an opportunity during their appointment time to schedule their second dose.
Can I still get vaccinated somewhere else?
Residents still have the option to get their COVID-19 shots at other facilities where doses are available. Most pharmacies that receive doses from the state advertise appointment availability on their Facebook pages and websites.
However, vaccinations at Chambersburg Hospital will soon be shifted to the mass vaccination center, Andreozzi said. Second-dose appointments already scheduled at the hospital will continue to take place for the next three weeks, but the rest will be scheduled to take place at the vaccination center.
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What if I'm still not sure about getting vaccinated?
COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective, according to the CDC. The administration of one type, the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, has however been temporarily paused due to a rare but potentially dangerous side effect.
The Pfizer vaccine is 95% effective at preventing COVID-19. Minor side effects are common, but some people experience none, the CDC says.
“Vaccine hesitancy is something that we at WellSpan are working to address by assuring that people have science and fact-based information, data around the effectiveness of the vaccine and that we reduce barriers to getting vaccinated in our communities," Andreozzi said.
For more information about COVID-19 vaccinations and testing through WellSpan Health, go to wellspan.org/Covid19
Amber South can be reached at asouth@publicopinionnews.com.