Skip to main content
Support

Journalism that gets results for Pennsylvania

Main content

How to find a COVID-19 booster shot in Pa.

Plus, police say guv hopeful ‘sideswiped’ in fatal crash.

SUPPORT SPOTLIGHT PA

A daily newsletter by Spotlight PA
Your Postmaster: Colin Deppen
October 4, 2021
Booster guide, legal limbo, protest wave, crash case, defective ballots, publishing pains, and Pittsburgh's errant eagle has landed. It's Monday.
 
ROUND THREE
Between one and two million Pennsylvania adults are now eligible for Pfizer's COVID-19 booster shot, and state officials say the third doses should be easier to find than the first two.

Spotlight PA has a guide to who's eligible, where to go, and what to bring.

If you received the Moderna or Johnson & Johnson vaccines, you'll have to wait for guidance as the FDA prepares to evaluate both options.

THE CONTEXT: People 65 and older, those with certain medical conditions, and workers in high-risk jobs who received a second Pfizer dose more than six months ago are now eligible to receive a booster.

You do not have to return to the same location where you received your first or second shot, but you will need to bring your vaccine card to confirm eligibility. (Here's what to do if you lost yours.)

Most nursing homes will handle booster shots for residents through existing relationships with local providers, state officials said. 

Meanwhile, The Inquirer reports many of those same nursing homes are way behind targets for getting their staff fully vaccinated as a new mandate looms.
 
NOTABLE / QUOTABLE

"If the Democrats don't win these races, then they're pretty much at rock bottom."

—Tom Balya of Westmoreland County's once-dominant Democratic Party on the GOP's quest to claim every elected office at the county courthouse
COVID-19 UPDATE: Research shows COVID-19 is killing rural Americans at twice the rate of urban residents; some Pennsylvania schools fear being "overwhelmed" by new cases; and Pennsylvania colleges are using carrots and sticks to enforce pandemic protocols. To find the vaccine, use the federal government's online tool, call 1-800-232-0233, or text your ZIP code to 438829 (GETVAX).
📅 UPCOMING EVENTS
» CRISIS OF CARE: Join us Friday, Oct. 8 at noon ET via Zoom for a free Q&A on rising rates of Alzheimer's disease in Pennsylvania, the barriers to care, and the solutions urged by advocates. Register for the event here and submit your questions to events@spotlightpa.org
📷 POST IT
A flock of geese taking a dip (or a sip?) at Bullfrog Valley Pond in Derry Township. Thanks, Robert N.! Send us your gems, use the hashtag #PAGems on Instagram, or tag us @spotlightpennsylvania.
DAILY RUNDOWN
ON HOLD: Pennsylvania Senate Republicans say they won't hire a private contractor to review millions of voters' personal information as part of their contested 2020 election review until a judge weighs in on Democrat-led lawsuits looking to stop the probe, The Inquirer reports.

WOMEN'S MARCH: Protesters in Harrisburg, Pittsburgh, and Philadelphia joined a nationwide wave of abortion-rights marches over the weekend inspired by new restrictions in Texas that have raised the stakes in Pennsylvania's current race for governor.

GEROW CRASH: Police believe GOP gubernatorial candidate Charlie Gerow was sideswiped by a motorcyclist in a July turnpike crash that left the motorcyclist dead and Gerow traveling for miles with the motorcycle stuck to his car. The AP reports the investigation is ongoing

JUNK MAIL: Sixteen-thousand defective mail ballots were sent to voters in Montgomery County and should be destroyed. Local officials told PhillyVoice a programming error was to blame and that the incomplete ballots will be canceled, with new ones issued in the coming week.

PRINT DAYS: A "significant criminal act" has hobbled the publication of several Lancaster County newspapers under the LNP Media Group banner. PennLive reports federal authorities are investigating but details about the incident that prompted the slowdown are scant.
IN OTHER NEWS
THE STELLER'S: The National Aviary in Pittsburgh says its Steller's sea eagle, Kody, is home safe after a week on the lam. In a Sunday Facebook post, the aviary said Kody was spotted at a residence in Pine Township that afternoon and retrieved "using professional falconry techniques." 

DUE DATES: The U.S. Postal Service's "strategic restructuring plan," which took effect Oct. 1, includes a slowdown of mail deliveries nationwide. The Washington Post tells you what to expect for your ZIP code

CLIMATE CONTROL: Vox reports there were zero laws stopping city climate action at the beginning of last year and now there are 20 nationwide, with three more bills pending, including one right here in Pennsylvania

LIVE AID: A historic and nationwide boost in food stamp benefits is now in effect and will mean an average 27% increase in payments to 42 million Americans who rely on the program, including 1.8 million in Pennsylvania.

BABY BUMP: Happy 25th birthday to the Lehigh Valley babies conceived during the Blizzard of '96 and born that October. In honor of the occasion, Lehigh Valley Live shares their "awkward, innuendo-laden" origin story.
THE SCRAMBLER
Unscramble and send your answer to scrambler@spotlightpa.org. We'll shout out winners here, and one each week will get some Spotlight PA swag.
 
Y N A D M E I I E R R T
 
Friday's answer: Obsequiousness

Congrats to our weekly winner: Tim B.

Congrats to our daily winners: David I., Susan N., Neal W., Doris T., Michelle T., Kevin H., Susan F., Suzanne S., Barbara F., Eddy Z., Mike B., Becky C., Briann M., Diane P., Keith F., Al M., Christine M., Craig W., Bill C., Mark C., Susan D., Joel S., Kimberly S., Don H., Elaine C., Lynne E., George S., Judy K., James B., John P., Kyle C., Myles M., Craig E., Bill S., Kevin M., Beth T., David W., Rick D., Gail H., and David S. 
Like PA Post? Share it with a friend.

Love PA Post? Chip in to support local journalism.

Forwarded this newsletter? Subscribe here.
SUPPORT SPOTLIGHT PA
Spotlight PA is an independent, non-partisan newsroom powered by The Philadelphia Inquirer in partnership with PennLive/The Patriot-News, TribLIVE/Pittsburgh Tribune-Review and WITF Public Media.

Copyright © Spotlight PA / The Philadelphia Inquirer, All rights reserved.

Spotlight PA
225 Market St., Suite 502A
Harrisburg, PA 17101
newsletters@spotlightpa.org

You're receiving this email because you subscribed to PA Post, which has combined with Spotlight PA to create Pennsylvania's largest statewide newsroom dedicated to accountability journalism.


You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.