How to get your COVID vaccines now that LVHN has closed clinics
Lehigh Valley Health Network has announced it will close its five COVID-19 vaccine centers, including the East Stroudsburg location, in the beginning of February.
LVHN announced the Whitehall, Easton, Hazleton, Pottsville and East Stroudsburg clinics, along with the network's Mobile Vaccination Unit, will shut down on Friday, Feb. 3. Going forward, initial vaccine doses for those age six months and older and booster shots for those age five and older will be available through Lehigh Valley Physician Group primary care practices, including internal medicine, family medicine, and pediatrics.
Scheduling for COVID-19 vaccines at LVPG practices will open prior to the shutdown of the clinics, LVHN noted.In addition to the clinic closings, other changes have been announced. According to LVHN officials, a majority of the vaccines available will be Pfizer-BioNTech, and individuals will not be able to request a specific brand as they once could. Furthermore, the Novavax vaccine will no longer be available at any LVHN facilities.
LVHN launched the community clinics in spring 2021 to provide easy access to vaccines for local communities. Since Dec. 2020, when COVID-19 vaccines first became available, LVHN has administered over 620,000 shots, both primary doses and boosters, to adults, children and teens across the region.
Schedule your vaccine
Initial doses and booster shots will be provided during specific vaccination appointments, or as part of a yearly physical or other visits, provided the patient is not experiencing any COVID-19 symptoms.
LVHN has noted most LVPG primary care practices will be offering vaccination appointments as soon as Monday, Feb. 6, though some practices may not have access to vaccines until later in the month.
Appointments for vaccinations can be scheduled with an individual's LVPG practice either by contacting their primary care physician's office directly, or by using the network's patient portal, MyLVHN.
Individuals who are not current patients but wish to receive a vaccine through LVHN can call 888-402-LVHN (5846) to make a new patient appointment.
Similar to other vaccinations at LVPG practices, an administration fee will be billed to patients’ insurance policies after they have received their shot.
Vaccines are still readily available through pharmacies such as CVS, Rite Aid or Walgreens, and can be scheduled online. These vaccines are covered by most insurance programs, though uninsured individuals can still receive a free shot.
Vaccines versus variants
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention continues to recommend all individuals age six months or older should be vaccinated against COVID-19, even if those vaccines may be less effective against newer variants.
According to Yale Medicine, omicron subvariants of COVID-19 are considered to be particularly effective spreaders of the disease, noting the recent XBB.1.5 subvariant "is the most transmissible strain of the virus so far."
While vaccinated individuals may experience breakthrough infections which can spread the virus, COVID-19 vaccines are effective at preventing severe illness and hospitalization, the Mayo Clinic stated.
Though there are far fewer reports of COVID-19 cases in Monroe County as compared to last January — when the county saw a peak of 650 on Jan. 15 alone — the late fall and winter have seen a few spikes in daily counts, exceeding 60 cases per day on several occasions.
This article originally appeared on Pocono Record: LVHN closes Monroe COVID clinic, vaccines available through doctors
