According to the Pennsylvania Department of Health, we have entered Phase 2 of the vaccine rollout which means all Pennsylvanians age 16 and older are eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.

There are numerous vaccination clinics available through St. Luke’s University Health Network, Lehigh Valley Health Network and the Allentown Health Bureau.

In recent weeks, Allentown Health Bureau COVID-19 clinics have administered first vaccinations to just more than 9,500 people and second doses to 4,450 people.

Mayor Ray O’Connell, Health Bureau Director Vicky Kistler and Department of Community and Economic Development Director Leonard Lightner provided a report on the city’s COVID-19 experience recently at a news conference at the Agri-Plex at the Allentown Fairgrounds, site of the city’s vaccination clinic.

O’Connell reported just more than 750 of those vaccinated can be identified specifically as city residents.

Another 2,750 people come from a city or city-shared Zip code and some 4,300 are from Lehigh County non-city or non-city-shared ZIP codes.

“We are finding that we can administer shots to approximately 1,100 people per day as long as we have the doses,” O’Connell said. “The issues we face are no different from those faced by any other vaccine provider. The number of people who want to be vaccinated far exceeds the available supply.”

The bureau only schedules appointments when it has the vaccine available.

Those slots are open only when the vaccine is available which is usually 9 a.m. Thursday mornings.

Individuals are urged to check the website often.

Those who cannot schedule online can email clinicalcommunicabledisease@allentownpa.gov Thursdays and someone will call them to assist with scheduling.

Sending an email does not guarantee an appointment.

In addition, when appointments are available, city and Lehigh County residents age 65 and over without access to Internet technology can make an appointment through the call center at 610-890-7069.

Callers are urged not to block calls on their phones which prevents the call center or the Allentown Health Bureau from reaching them to schedule an appointment.

“The vaccination clinics are an amazing partnership with Allentown Health Bureau, Allentown EMS, Eastern PA EMS Council, Allentown Volunteer Medical Reserve Corps and Lehigh County Cert volunteers all coming together to work in tandem to vaccinate as many as possible with as short a wait as possible. The overwhelming kindness, patience and gratitude displayed by the citizens who have been vaccinated is heartwarming,” Kistler said.

“The city is working diligently with our local health care providers and the county to make sure we cover all demographics in the city and the county, as they fall within the vaccine issuance approved tiers. We ask for your patience and understanding. As the mayor stated, we need to follow the COVID guidance. If we do that, numbers will likely decline, and restrictions further eased,” Lightner said.

COVID-19 has infected a known 13,144 residents of Allentown resulting in 233 deaths.

“Although more people are getting vaccinated every day and infection numbers are holding steady or falling, we cannot let our guard down,” O’Connell said. “I urge people to continue to wear a mask, wash your hands or use hand sanitizer often and maintain social distancing.”