Ron Creitz misses his job working with adults with special needs, not to mention time with his grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Both have been put on hold due to the pandemic.

So the 73-year-old man was ready to roll up his sleeve Thursday to receive his first of two doses of the coronavirus vaccine.

“I’ve missed it very much. They’re very good people to work with,” Kreitz said of his job with Community and Residential Empowerment Services. “I just hope to get back soon.”

Creitz was one of hundreds of older adults who received the Moderna vaccine at St. Luke’s Miners Campus on Thursday

Vaccine clinics have been up and running for more than a week at the two campuses, with over 1,000 people receiving the vaccine between the two campuses. This week, the hospitals were on track to give even more.

St. Luke’s University Health Network announced Thursday it has administered its 50,000th vaccination.

Currently the network is vaccinating 3,000 people a day at 11 hospital-based sites.

“The people that are getting in are so grateful that they’re getting vaccinated. It’s really nice to see people so happy,” said Mary Ann Lazur, a registered nurse and educator for St. Luke’s Miners and Lehighton campuses.

Currently Lehighton campus holds vaccine clinics Monday-Wednesday, and Miners Campus Wednesday through Friday. Soon, it will be five days at both campuses.

Health care workers from across both hospitals as well as volunteers have been contributing time to provide the manpower needed to administer hundreds of vaccines on a daily basis. Doctors and medical residents have been coming in, including on off days, to serve patients.

“We have a great system, great people running our clinics,” Lazur said.

Vaccines are given a short walk from the front door. An appointment takes about 30 minutes. Patients receive their shots within 10 minutes of arriving. After the shot, they’re required to stay on site for 15 minutes to ensure no adverse effects. The clinics have recorded none so far.

Before patients leave they are scheduled for their booster shot, which is recommended between 25-35 days following the initial vaccine.

“We’re lucky. You’ve heard about people waiting outside, waiting for hours. I don’t know what they did, but they did something right,” said Marge Smith.

The hospital is currently scheduling appointments for people who qualify for Phase 1a under the state and federal guidelines. That includes people 65 and older and 16-64 with high-risk medical conditions, long-term care residents, health care workers and first responders.

The hospital has been receiving thousands of phone calls from people setting up appointments. Currently St. Luke’s is prioritizing appointments for patients over 75 years old.

Patients can schedule appointments at 1-866-STLUKES or through the hospital’s MyChart website.

There are many people in phase 1a across the country still awaiting their first dose.

The patients who have received their vaccines are understandably excited. People see their neighbors and friends who have been apart throughout the pandemic. Some of them even scheduled their booster appointments together.

“It’s like a weight is lifted off my shoulders,” Smith said.

The Pennsylvania Department of Health reported Thursday there were 6,036 additional positive cases of COVID-19, bringing the statewide total to 824,405. As of 11:59 p.m. Wednesday, there were 198 new deaths reported, for a total of 21,303 deaths attributed to COVID-19.