Bucks Co. Opens 1st COVID Vaccination Clinic

LANGHORNE, PA — The Bucks County Health Department on Tuesday opened a clinic for healthcare workers to get the COVID-19 vaccine.

Workers at the appointment-only clinic, at Woods Services, gave 422 doses of the vaccine on Tuesday, according to county officials. They say that pace likely will pick up in the coming days.

Vaccinations at the Langhorne location are expected to continue for at least the next three weeks, as Bucks County continues the first phase of Pennsylvania's coronavirus vaccine rollout.

The clinic is accessible by appointment only and is for emergency medical staffers and other healthcare workers who have been sent an invitation either from the county health department or their employers.

"These vaccinations mark the start of the final stages in the battle against COVID," said county health department Director Dr. David Damsker. "Once enough people are vaccinated, we expect to see major changes in the disease morbidity and mortality. Please exercise patience, and over the next couple of months, we hope to help as many people in Bucks County as possible."

COVID-19 Vaccine In Pennsylvania: When Will You Get It?

Like the rest of the state, Bucks County is in Phase 1A of Pennsylvania's vaccine plan. During this first phase, vaccines are being given to healthcare workers and residents and staff members of nursing homes and other long-term care facilities.

The vaccinations have been underway in Bucks County hospitals for several weeks and, as of Tuesday, 10,936 partial vaccinations and 1,630 full vaccinations had been administered in the county, according to state data.

The coronavirus vaccine requires two shots, spaced out roughly three weeks apart. The number of vaccines delivered in Bucks County is the fourth-highest in the state and the number of full vaccinations is the third-highest.

State officials have said they expect the plan's second phase, 1B, to begin some time in February. That will open up vaccinations to people 75 and older, first responders, food workers, postal employees, grocery store employees and other "essential" workers.

More information about vaccinations in Bucks is available on the county's vaccine information portal.

As of Tuesday, there had been 34,847 recorded coronavirus infections in Bucks County since the pandemic began, with 409 new cases reported on Monday. Eighteen deaths due to COVID have been reported in the county in January, bringing its total to 945.

On Monday, Bucks County opened three free COVID testing sites on the campuses of Bucks County Community College in Perkasie, Newtown and Bristol. Those sites are expected to switch to vaccination centers when the vaccine becomes more widely available.

Testing at the sites is available without a doctor's prescription.