BETHLEHEM

VACCINATION SIGN-UPS: Beginning Feb. 12, the Bethlehem Health Bureau began adding COVID-19 vaccine appointments to their clinic schedule. The number of appointments will be based on vaccine allocation for the week. Appointment slots for the following weeks’ clinics will be updated every Friday on the City of Bethlehem’s website until further notice. The most efficient way to schedule an appointment is through the City of Bethlehem’s website. Appointments can be scheduled by visiting https://www.bethlehem-pa.gov/Health-Bureau/Communicable-Diseases/COVID-19 and clicking on the COVID-19 vaccine tab. Due to limited vaccine supply, the Bethlehem Health Bureau is prioritizing appointments for City of Bethlehem residents, Northampton and Lehigh County residents as well as individuals living in a county without a health department.

In an effort to assist seniors without computer and internet access, the Bethlehem Health Bureau will reserve a set amount of vaccine appointments for City of Bethlehem and Northampton County residents who are 65 years of age and older. Seniors without computer or internet access can call the Bethlehem Health Bureau at 610-865-7083 to schedule an appointment. The appointments by phone will be limited so individuals with computer and internet access are encouraged to register online.

The Bethlehem Health Bureau is also implementing other various strategies to improve access to vaccinations among the senior population. The health bureau created a mobile COVID-19 vaccine unit to provide on-site COVID-19 vaccinations to individuals who live in senior living facilities in Bethlehem. In addition, the health bureau is partnering with a community-based agency to provide vaccine to seniors who are homebound and/or have mobility issues.

LEHIGH VALLEY

CORONOERS’ REPORT: Between Jan. 1 and Feb. 10, the Northampton County Coroner recorded 100 COVID-19 related deaths in Northampton County (84 residents/16 non-residents). As of Jan. 10, the Lehigh County Coroner reported 13 deaths of Northampton County residents. Between the two counties, 97 deaths of Northampton County residents from COVID19 have been reported this year.

In 2020, the Northampton County Coroner reported 403 COVID-19 related deaths (359 residents and 44 non-residents). The Lehigh County Coroner reported 118 deaths in 2020 for a total of 477 COVID-19-related deaths for Northampton County residents.

PENNSYLVANIA

VACCINE TASK FORCE: While conversations with the entire General Assembly on the state’s vaccine plan will remain ongoing, Governor Tom Wolf’s administration also sought to provide a mechanism for accurate, timely information sharing via a streamlined set of communicators between these two branches of state government. As such, the Wolf administration has announced that it is establishing a joint task force with members from each legislative caucus who can share vaccine information and communicate issues and solutions expediently on behalf of and to the broader General Assembly.

Task force members will represent their caucus’s point of view and work to streamline conversations to focus and drive issues of importance. Wolf administration members will serve as task force members with the subject matter expertise to listen, collaborate and provide information, answers and suggestions to solve problems in a timely manner.

Members of the task force include co-chairs Acting Secretary of Health Alison Beam and Director of the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency Randy Padfield; for the Senate Democratic Caucus, Sen. Art Haywood; for the House Democratic Caucus, Rep. Bridget Kosierowski; for the Senate Republican Caucus, Sen. Ryan Aument; and for the House Republican Caucus, Rep. Tim O’Neal.

The task force will be meeting as needed and providing updates to the full General Assembly via each of the task force members.

VACCINE ELIGIBILITY TOOL: The Pennsylvania Department of Health has launched a new tool called Your Turn to help Pennsylvanians understand where they fall in the vaccine prioritization effort and to be alerted when it is their turn to schedule an appointment for the COVID-19 vaccine.

If an individual does not have internet access or is unable to use the Your Turn tool, they can call 877-PA-HEALTH and speak with a representative to determine eligibility. If an individual is eligible, the representative will help the individual locate nearby vaccine providers and provide contact information so the individual can make a vaccine appointment directly with a provider.