Carbon County officials are asking the state to reconsider its decision to temporarily consolidate COVID-19 vaccine sites.

In a letter to the state Department of Health, dated March 29, Commissioners Wayne Nothstein, Rocky Ahner and Chris Lukasevich urged the department to reconsider its decision to eliminate St. Luke’s Lehighton Campus as a vaccine distribution center.

“We are gravely concerned with the decision and the negative impact it will have on vaccine distribution in Carbon County,” the board wrote.

The commissioners said that the reduction leaves only the Mauch Chunk Pharmacy in Jim Thorpe as the sole state vaccine provider in the county at this time.

Sites like Rite Aid in Lansford, Lehighton and Palmerton are under the federal pharmacy program and continue to vaccinate people unaffected by the state’s decision.

The commissioners said that Carbon County has approximately 46,719 residents still in need of vaccinations.

The board asked if the Lehighton site can be reopened, citing that the hospital can utilize Pfizer vaccines if that would help with the decision.

As of 8 a.m. today, appointments were available at the Lehighton campus through the St. Luke’s MyChart app for Thursday and April 7.