Williamsport, Pa. – 

A new, public-facing website — Vaccine.UPMC.com — gives individuals a quick and simple way to register for their COVID-19 vaccine. The website only requires you enter basic information, including name, email, phone number, date of birth, and underlying conditions. 

Only individuals who are currently eligible for the vaccine, which currently includes all persons in the Phase 1A category, will be permitted to register on the website. Those who are unsure whether they are eligible can take a survey, also available on the website, which will determine their eligibility status. 

For those who are less tech-savvy, or would prefer to speak with someone over the phone, there is another option.

“We know some of our most senior seniors do not have access or are not able to use the computer. We have a phone number they can call and a UPMC staff member will talk them through the form, get it filled out, and help them schedule an appointment,” said Susan Duchman, Vice president of Patient Care Services and Chief Nursing Officer, UPMC in the Susquehanna Region.

UPMC staff are available on the phone from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at 844-UPMC VAC (844-876-2822).

The online or over the phone registration does not immediately create an appointment, but it allows UPMC to make sure they order enough vaccines to meet the demand and can plan effective appointment schedules. Vaccine appointments are scheduled as we have supply.

“It would do us not good to order 100,000 doses and not be able to give all those doses,” explained Duchman. “That has been our process. We don’t want somebody to wait in line. That’s why we’re scheduling.” 

After registering, people will be contacted by phone from UPMC via automated and personal calls, and by text and email via our CERTIFY  Care system to help them start preparing for their vaccine and to schedule their appointment.

So far, Duchman said the feedback on the vaccine registration process has been positive. 

Appointments for the second dose of the vaccine are scheduled with UPMC staff while individuals receive their first dose, which helps simplify the process  for patients. 

In addition, UPMC also launched a new Special Response vehicle to make vaccines more mobile by transporting them to individuals unable to travel or for whom travel is difficult, like nursing home residents.

Related Reading: UPMC mobile health team brings vaccines to local seniors

The hospital also plans to open an additional vaccine clinic in Lycoming county in the coming weeks to meet demand in the community. 

“We are always keeping a pulse and constantly looking at where groups are seeing congestion, so we can figure out how to best bring resources to the community,” said Duchman.