About 40 members of the Westmoreland County Sheriff’s Office and a dozen Park Police officers received their first covid-19 vaccine doses Thursday at the courthouse.
“We looked and looked and looked for doses, and finally we heard about this pharmacy in Washington County that had some,” Sheriff James Albert said.
He and Chief Deputy Roger Eckels drove to Dierken’s Pharmacy in Monongahela about a week ago to receive their first doses and schedule the vaccination clinic that was conducted in the basement jury room adjacent to the sheriff’s department.
Two pharmacists from the drug store spent about an hour administering the vaccinations.
“We offered it to everyone, but we had to go to Washington County to get these shots for my people,” Albert said.
About half of Albert’s deputies signed up. Additional doses were administered to members of the county’s Park Police, which patrol county properties, including the courthouse.
Park Police Chief Henry Fontana said his officers have largely been on their own in finding vaccinations. Some, who also volunteer as firefighters, received shots through their local departments, while others arranged for vaccinations with a pharmacy in Youngwood.
“It’s been a mishmash. We’re getting them wherever we can get in,” Fontana said.
County government leaders have yet to formalize any mass vaccination plans for courthouse workers and the public. Commissioners said they didn’t know about Thursday’s clinic at the sheriff’s office.
“Make sure you note the pharmacy was from Washington County,” Commissioner Sean Kertes said.
Under Pennsylvania’s vaccination plan, police officers and other public safety officials are not yet eligible to be inoculated. The state is vaccinating health care workers, nursing home residents and staff, people older than 65 and those with certain health conditions.
Still, some pharmacies have made vaccines available to other professions, including teachers, law enforcement and firefighters.
“We’ve been conducting clinics in our area. The demand is really high,” said Andrea Spano, pharmacy manager at Dierken’s Pharmacy. “We’ve been getting a lot of calls.”
Spano is scheduled to return to the Greensburg courthouse Feb. 25 to administer second vaccine doses.
