(Editor's note: The following information is from the Vaccinate Lancaster Coalition.)
The Lancaster County Community Vaccination Center will discontinue its Sunday hours, effective May 16, and will operate from 8 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday.
The new schedule is effective through the end of May. However, the center will be closed on Monday, May 31, in observance of the Memorial Day holiday.
The center continues to operate with a planned end date of June 30. The June operating schedule will be determined following an evaluation of projected demand for the COVID-19 vaccine among adults and the potential for expanded vaccine access to children.
The elimination of Sunday hours is the result of a reduction in first-dose vaccine demand, according to Dr. Michael Ripchinski, site director for the Lancaster County Community Vaccination Center and chief clinical officer with Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health, lead healthcare partner for the Vaccinate Lancaster Coalition.
Although the center is still administering thousands of second-dose vaccines and several hundred first-dose vaccines daily, patient volumes have dropped from the previous high of 3,000 first-dose vaccines per day.
“We are at a critical crossroads in our battle against COVID-19,” Ripchinski said. “We have plenty of vaccine available, but we need everyone to do their part – not just by wearing masks and social distancing, but also by getting the vaccine.
“We know we have a long way to go before we reach herd immunity,” he continued. “If we all do our part and get our shot, we can finally get back to work, back to school, back to sports and events – back to normal.”
Vaccinate Lancaster: Registration
- To register online for an appointment at Lancaster County's community vaccination center at Park City Center mall, visit VaccinateLancaster.org
- To register by phone:
- First dose: Call (717) 588-1020
- For a second dose: Call (717) 588-1026
- Call center hours are 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., M-F; and 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturdays
The community vaccination center is open from 8 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. daily. Sunday hours will end after May 9.
The vaccination center, located at the former Bon-Ton department store at Park City Center in Lancaster, continues to offer walk-in and same-day appointment vaccinations during all hours of operation. Currently, anyone age 16 and older is eligible for the Pfizer vaccine, which is administered at the center.
Recent news reports indicate the U.S. Food and Drug Administration may authorize use of the Pfizer vaccine in adolescents age 12 to 15 as early as next week. If that occurs, tens of thousands of children in Lancaster County will be eligible for vaccination at the Lancaster County Community Vaccination Center.
“The expansion of eligibility for children would be a huge win in our efforts to truly vaccinate Lancaster,” said Ripchinski.
“We need to vaccinate ourselves and our children to have any hope of reaching herd immunity and finally defeating this pandemic. Get your shot of hope today. Just click, call or walk-in.”
