Seneca Highlands IU-9 will be one of the sites administering the single dose COVID-19 vaccine, with the help of the Pennsylvania National Guard.
Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf announced Wednesday that the state is expected to receive over 94,000 doses of the single dose Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine this week, and those will be prioritized for eligible school employees and contractors.
The governor’s plan includes a projected timeline of March 10 to 13 for some locations to start administering the vaccine. There are 28 Intermediate Units across the state that will be utilized for this vaccine effort.
In a release from the IU-9, officials stated, “The Seneca Highlands Intermediate Unit is honored to serve as a host site for the operations and administration of the Johnson & Johnson (J&J) COVID-19 vaccines to Elk, Cameron, McKean and Potter counties’ school employees and contractors.”
Don Wismar, Seneca Highlands IU-9 executive director, said, “The entire process for phase one will take place between March 10 and March 22, specific dates are not known at this point and the second phase will be approximately two weeks later. I am pleased that the state has recognized the importance of getting educators vaccinated and we are happy to do our part to roll this initiative out.”
The IU-9 will be used as a host site, allowing eligible school employees and contractors for both public and non-public education agencies served by the Seneca Highlands IU-9 to visit the facility and receive a single dose of the newly approved Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
“Pennsylvania’s Intermediate Units, our Commonwealth’s educational services agencies, are pleased to play a central role in coordinating this essential work with our partners at the Governor’s Office, the Pennsylvania Department of Education, the Pennsylvania Department of Health, Pennsylvania Emergency Management Association (PEMA), and the Pennsylvania National Guard,” the release said.
The Pennsylvania Department of Health and the Pennsylvania Department of Education will determine the vaccine allocation for each local education agency.
The release also explained that “the vaccination site operations, scheduling, and administration of the vaccines are being directed by the Army National Guard and AMI Expeditionary Healthcare, LLC. The Seneca Highlands Intermediate Unit’s role is limited to serving as a host site for these vaccinations and to provide facility support and assistance as may be needed.”
