Thousands of AHN patients get 1st dose of covid vaccine at PNC Park

More than 2,000 high-risk Allegheny Health Network patients 75 and older on Saturday got the first dose of the coronavirus vaccine at PNC Park in Pittsburgh.

Health system spokeswoman Candace Herrington said AHN is planning to hold additional clinics as vaccine supply increases. That will include events similar to one held at Jefferson Hospital on Thursday for a few hundred minority patients 75 and older.

“As more vaccine supply becomes available, we will look to host larger vaccination events that are open to a broader population,” Herrington said.

Everyone who got the first dose Saturday have second appointments scheduled at the North Shore ballpark on Saturday, Feb. 27. The clinic took place in the Home Plate Club.

The events Saturday and Thursday were by appointment only.

Allegheny Health Network is alerting patients with MyChart accounts when the vaccine is available to them.

For more information about making an appointment, visit ahn.org/coronavirus.

Officials with the Pittsburgh Pirates and Allegheny Health Network confirmed last month discussions about using PNC Park for a large-scale vaccination site. Elsewhere on the North Shore, Heinz Field also has been offered up as a possible site, but the shortage of doses remains an obstacle.

Pennsylvania is tied for 39th among the 50 states in terms of the percentage of people who have received at least one dose of the vaccine.

As of Wednesday, about 1.9% of the 12.8 million people in Pennsylvania were fully vaccinated, according to Associated Press data compiled from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and U.S. Census Bureau.

In Allegheny County, more than 28,000 people have gotten both shots of the vaccine for maximum protection against the virus, according to state health department figures. About 66,000 have gotten the first shot.