Still looking for a COVID vaccine in Pennsylvania? There's a new way to find one

The Pennsylvania Department of Health has transitioned to another COVID-19 vaccine locator map in an effort to ensure patients can get their shots closer to home.

On Friday, Acting Health Secretary Alison Beam announced the switch from the PA Vaccine Provider Map to VaccineFinder, found at vaccine.gov. VaccineFinder allows patients “to ensure people can get vaccinated close to home and with the vaccine they may prefer,” and permits individuals to select either the Moderna, Pfizer or Johnson & Johnson vaccines as per their preference.

Patients can enter their ZIP code, preferred vaccine or vaccines and their search radius, and the site will provide a list of vaccine providers and information on their stock of vaccine.

Know your options:What to know about PA COVID vaccines

The site cannot schedule an appointment at a provider, though it does offer a link, contact information and hours of operation for those locations for the patient.

“Our goal is to make it quick and easy for people to get vaccinated and to help overcome any hesitancy,” Beam said. “We know that some people may be looking for a certain brand of vaccine or want to know which locations have vaccine in stock. This transition provides the best information to Pennsylvanians who want to get vaccinated as we work to reach at least 70 percent of adults vaccinated.”

VaccineFinder is a free online service developed by Boston Children’s Hospital, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It provides the latest vaccine availability for those eligible – as of last month, all adults in the commonwealth – at providers and pharmacies across the country.

The change comes as the state shifts its focus from meeting crushing demand amid limited supply to addressing hesitancy among those who still have not gotten a dose.

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VaccineFinder previously has been used for other vaccine rollouts, including the flu vaccine, and was launched after the H1N1 pandemic nine years ago. The initial rollout for the COVID-19 focused VaccineFinder started in February 2021, and featured data from 29,000 providers in four states – Alaska, Indiana, Iowa and Tennessee – along with providers registered in the federal pharmacy program.

One of the core differences between VaccineFInder and other vaccine location services, such as Find A Shot, is that VaccineFinder gathers stock information directly from health care providers as opposed to relying on volunteers to manually enter data into the system. Providers are required to report their inventory to VaccineFinder every 24 hours.

Acting Physician General Dr. Denise Johnson said that “access to this next level of information” will assist the public in making the decision to get vaccinated, and noted that it was critical to “meet people where they are” and make the vaccination process quick.

“We are working with local county leaders, influencers, medical professionals, and trusted messengers to ensure that our efforts represent the diversity of our communities as well as to provide the hyper local approach to addressing anyone’s concerns about the vaccine,” Johnson said.

The transition to VaccineFinder will also allow Pennsylvanians to locate nearby providers in Apple Maps, which can be done by selecting COVID-19 Vaccines in the Find Nearby menu, or by asking Siri, “Where can I get a COVID vaccination?”

In addition, Google Maps and Facebook are utilizing VaccineFinder as a source when people search for vaccination locations.

Those looking for vaccination locations can also text their ZIP code to GETVAX (438829) for English, or VACUNA (822862) for Spanish to locate three possible vaccination sites in their area, along with contact numbers.