LUZERNE COUNTY, Pa. — A restaurant group and a local pharmacy in Luzerne County are teaming up to give out COVID-19 vaccines.
If you attend one of these clinics, organizers say there's more in store for you than just a stronger immune system.
Pharmacist Jill Florio at Sheehan's Pharmacy in Plains Township says traffic here for COVID-19 vaccines is down.
"Last few months, definitely, interest has waned a bit. In the beginning, we couldn't keep up with it, and now it's a struggle to get our clinics filled that we're doing."
With the current increase in COVID-19 cases, the pharmacy is teaming up with Robert Friedman, owner of the Friedman Hospitality Group, to host a vaccine clinic next week at the River Street Jazz Cafe near Wilkes-Barre.
"We're trying to be proactive in giving people, the public, a nudge to get vaccinated. So even though the numbers are increasing in our county, hopefully, if more and more people get vaccinated, it'll reduce the number of people that get COVID," Friedman said.
If you get the vaccine at one of the clinics hosted by the Freedman Hospitality Group at the jazz cafe, you're going to get a $40 gift card for use at any of the group's restaurants, including Bank+Vine in Wilkes-Barre.
"You just need to bring ID. Bring your insurance card. It's always great to wear a short-sleeve shirt so we couldn't have easy access to give the vaccination," Florio said.
Friedman says he's doing this incentive for the health of people in the community and to keep things like restaurants from shutting down again.
"Even for our industry, the last thing we want to see is mandates, whether it's masking mandates or social distancing. We don't want to go back to that, so we want to be proactive. That's why we're offering this $40 gift certificate. And we're hoping other businesses in the county maybe offer something in some incentives on their own to also have people get vaccinated," Friedman added.
The gift card can be used at any of the FHG restaurants, including:
- The Beaumont Inn, Dallas
- Fire and Ice, Kingston Township
- Kevin's, Kingston
- Grico's, Exeter
- Rikasa, Pittston
- Bank+Vine, Wilkes-Barre
- Cork, Wilkes-Barre