Friday, April 16, 2021

LVHN Vaccinates One-day High of More Than 9,200 on April 14


This week, Lehigh Valley Health Network (LVHN) continued efforts to provide COVID-19 vaccine to as many people as possible as quickly as possible on Wednesday, April 14, vaccinating a one-day high of 9,286 people at all vaccination sites. 

It was the first time LVHN was operating vaccination locations on the same day at its new community clinics in Whitehall and Lower Nazareth townships, Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom in Allentown, LVHN hospitals in Monroe, Luzerne and Schuylkill counties and LVHN’s Mobile Vaccination Unit, which visited local housing authority sites in Schuylkill County.

The Whitehall and Lower Nazareth locations opened on Monday and provide a larger setting for vaccinations than previous locations at Lehigh Valley Hospital (LVH)–Cedar Crest and LVH–Muhlenberg. Also, the state of Pennsylvania opened eligibility for vaccination to all those age 16 and above beginning Tuesday, April 13, a week earlier than planned.

LVHN’s previous one-day high was reached April 9 when nearly 7,500 people received the COVID-19 vaccine.

“I am encouraged to see so many people trusting the science and deciding to get vaccinated now that more and more have the opportunity,” said Brian A. Nester, DO, MBA, LVHN’s President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO). “Our focus throughout the pandemic has been on caring for our patients and protecting their health and safety as well as those in our communities and on doing what is necessary to get back to normal. I’m confident we will get the virus under control if we continue to get as many people as possible vaccinated and practice safety measures that have been critical in the progress we’ve made to date.”

Nester also credited the state for increasing vaccine distribution in recent weeks as well as his LVHN colleagues, whom he says have worked tirelessly to organize, staff and manage the vaccination clinics over the past four months since the vaccine first became available. He says they are the reason LVHN has been able to administer almost 230,000 vaccinations making it among the leaders in the state in getting people protected against COVID-19.

There are three ways to schedule a vaccination appointment for any LVHN COVID-19 vaccination event, including drive-through clinics:

1. People with a MyLVHN account, the health network’s patient portal, can log in and click “Schedule your appointment” next to the vaccination announcement on the home screen. Under “Menu,” you also can click “COVID-19 Vaccine Scheduling.” You also can click “Visits” and “Schedule an appointment.” MyLVHN is the fastest and easiest way to schedule.

2. People without a MyLVHN account can visit LVHN.org/appointment and follow the directions.

3. You can call LVHN’s COVID-19 Vaccine Hotline at 833-584-6283 (833-LVHN-CVD). The COVID-19 Vaccine Hotline hours of operation are Monday-Friday 8:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. and Saturday-Sunday 9 a.m.-5 p.m. However, because of large demand and call volume, you may be placed on hold. Appointments will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis.

LVHN expects to deliver up to 36,000 doses per week.