COVID-19 vaccines

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has authorized the first COVID-19 vaccine. VA will have a limited amount of this vaccine to start. We’ve worked with the CDC and other federal partners to develop a phased plan. Our goal is to do the most good for the most people during this time.

Under this plan, we’ll first offer vaccines to these 2 groups:

Veterans living in our long-term care facilities, and
VA health care personnel. Vaccinating our high-risk VA health care personnel helps us continue providing care for Veterans.

We based this plan on these criteria from CDC guidelines:

Risk of becoming infected with the virus
Risk of severe illness and death from COVID-19
Risk of spreading the virus to others
Risk of harm to society if essential workers, including health care personnel, are unable to work

After the first 2 groups, we’ll begin to offer vaccines to more Veterans who are at high risk of severe illness from COVID-19. Your VA health care team will contact you if you’re eligible to get a vaccine during this time.

To get the latest updates and sign up to stay informed about COVID-19 vaccines, visit our vaccine information page.

Wilkes-Barre VA Medical Center Administering COVID-19 Vaccine!

Wilkes-Barre is now scheduling COVID-19 vaccine appointments for eligible Veterans who are 65 and older and Veterans under 65 with high risk medical conditions. Eligible Veterans include those who:

are 65 or older or under 65 with high risk medical condition, AND
are enrolled in VA health care, AND
receive their VA health care at the Wilkes-Barre VAMC or one of our community-based outpatient clinics.

If you meet all the criteria listed above and are interested in receiving the COVID-19 vaccine, please call to schedule your appointment to receive the first dose of the COVID-19 Moderna vaccine at the Wilkes-Barre VA Medical Center.

Scheduled weekend appointments must enter through the main entrance of the medical center.

Please note, you must have a scheduled appointment to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.

Phone lines operational Monday - Friday 8:00 AM – 4:30 PM

For the quickest response, please call between 4:30PM and 8:30 PM.

Or Schedule via VText

Or Talk to your provider during your next appointment.

For VA-specific information: Read our coronavirus FAQs and public health response, or use our coronavirus chatbot.

Prepare for a visit: Everyone entering our facilities is screened, and visitors are limited. Face coverings are mandatory. For some needs, you may be able to get care at home by phone or video.

For the latest coronavirus information: Visit the CDC website.

Get updates on affected services and facilities