VA Pittsburgh Health Care sets covid vaccine clinic for senior veterans

The VA Pittsburgh Health Care System is offering a walk-in covid-19 vaccine clinic for eligible senior veterans Saturday at its University Drive campus in Pittsburgh’s Oakland neighborhood.

Hours are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., but requested arrival times are broken up based on the first letter of each veteran’s last name.

To be eligible, veterans must be 65 or older and registered for Veterans Health Administration care. They must receive their care at the Pittsburgh center or one of its outpatient clinics — including sites in Westmoreland, Beaver, Fayette and Washington counties in Pennsylvania and in Belmont County, Ohio.

To receive a covid-19 vaccination, veterans must not have had any vaccinations within 14 days.

To allow for ample parking, officials ask that eligible veterans whose last names begin with A-G report to the clinic between 8 and 10 a.m.

Other requested arrival times: 10 a.m. to noon for last names beginning with H-M; noon to 2 p.m. for names beginning with N-T; 2 to 4 p.m. for names beginning with U-Z.

The Pfizer vaccine, which requires a second dose, will be administered at the clinic. Vaccine recipients must return to the University Drive location for their second shot in about 21 days and will be scheduled for an appointment.

Veterans who haven’t been seen recently at a VA health care site can save time in line at Saturday’s clinic by confirming in advance that they remain eligible for VA health care.

To confirm eligibility, call the VA toll-free at 877-222-8387, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. weekdays.

Those not enrolled in VA health care should call 877-222-8387 to confirm eligibility and enroll before visiting the clinic.

Veterans are advised to visit the VA Pittsburgh Health Care System Facebook page for any updates on clinic information.