Allentown reschedules vaccinations

Still waiting on a resupply of the Moderna vaccine, the Allentown Health Bureau has been

forced to cancel and reschedule COVID-19 vaccination appointments for the rest of the week.

Second-shot appointments scheduled Tuesday through Friday at the Agri-Plex at the Allentown Fairgrounds have been canceled.

Those scheduled Tuesday and Wednesday were rescheduled for the same time March 4.

Those scheduled Thursday and Friday were rescheduled for the same time March 3.

Individuals who submitted an email address when they registered will be notified of their new appointments. The health bureau will try to call, but cannot guarantee that it will reach all those who submitted a telephone number.

Allentown’s supply shortage follows the Pennsylvania Health Department’s announcement last Wednesday of a “structural issue” in the vaccine rollout. In early January, vaccine providers used doses of the Moderna vaccine as first shots when they were intended to be the second, or booster, shots.

Because of the shortage of Moderna second doses, 30,00060,000 second-dose appointments were expected to be postponed. Both of the Lehigh Valley’s two major health networks, Lehigh Valley Health Network and St. Luke’s University Health Network, rescheduled some appointments.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, individuals receiving the Moderna vaccine should get the second shot within 28-42 days after the first shot.

Last week, Allentown’s health bureau was forced to reschedule appointments Tuesday and Thursday to Wednesday and Friday because of poor weather.

—