Patients being inoculated at the Vaccinate Lancaster site at Park City now have their choice of either the one-dose Johnson & Johnson or the two-dose Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine, the coalition running the mass vaccination center announced Wednesday.
“We now have the ability to secure an ongoing supply of both vaccines for our community,” said Dr. Michael Ripchinski, the site's director and chief clinical officer with Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health, lead healthcare partner for the Vaccinate Lancaster Coalition.
The center plans to offer both vaccines through June 30, its planned closing date. The center has plenty of appointments the rest of the month, spokesman Brett Marcy said: "Just click, call or walk in."
One potential complication for those choosing the Pfizer vaccine: Because of the wait time required between its two doses, patients who use the Park City site for their first dose later in June will need to get their second dose elsewhere.
Pfizer's vaccine requires three weeks between doses, which suggests that Wednesday, June 9, would be the last day to receive a first dose in order to schedule a second dose by the end of the month.
The coalition is arranging with its health care partners to provide second doses for any patients who need them after June, spokesman Brett Marcy said.
The organization includes all four health care systems that operate in Lancaster County.
The Park City site is not currently offering the Moderna vaccine, which requires four weeks between doses.
Last week, the center provided just under 6,900 shots, including about 2,400 first doses, 4,300 second doses and 160 single-dose J&J vaccines. Its maximum capacity is around 6,000 shots per day.
It has administered nearly 220,000 vaccine doses since March 10, including about 4,600 vaccines for youths aged 12-15, who became eligible for the Pfizer vaccine in mid-May.
As volume ebbs at the community vaccination center, LG Health is ramping up a pop-up clinic initiative in hopes of reaching hesitant individuals and those for whom transportation to the site is a challenge.
