5,000 covid-19 vaccine appointments to open at 2 pharmacies in Penn Township and Indiana Co.

More than 5,000 appointments for the covid-19 vaccine will be available next week through two area Mainline Pharmacy Group locations.

Bushy Run Pharmacy, in Penn Township, and Blairsville Pharmacy, in Indiana County, have appointments available for those who qualify in phase 1A of the state’s vaccination plan. This phase includes health care workers, long-term care residents, anyone older than 65 and those who are 16 to 64 with certain health conditions.

Beginning Monday, both pharmacies will start administering the Pfizer vaccine.

So far, the pharmacies have given more than 33,000 doses of the Moderna vaccine. Officials with Mainline Pharmacy said the Bushy Run and Blairsville locations expect to continue giving more than 12,000 covid-19 vaccines per week for the foreseeable future.

Across the state, more than 3.9 million vaccines have been administered, according to data from the state Department of Health. Of those, 2.5 million have received their first shot of the vaccine and 1.38 million people are fully inoculated.

In Westmoreland County, almost 40,870 people are fully vaccinated. Another 44,200 have received their first dose, data show.

At Mainline Pharmacy, several vaccination clinics have been held across the region, including weekly clinics at Saint Vincent College and the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg. The organization noted that more sites are expected to be added.

“The company is closely following the phase guidelines set by the Department of Health when determining who is eligible to receive a vaccine and they stand ready to vaccinate tens of thousands more Pennsylvanians when the state moves to phase 1B,” a release from Mainline Pharmacy reads.

Those wanting to sign up for a slot at Bushy Run and Blairsville pharmacies can do so online at mainlinepharmacy.com. Appointments can also be made by calling the stores. If appointments are not available, people are encouraged to check the website every few days as new slots are added.