Mount Nittany Health opened a new online self-scheduling system Friday to help eligible Centre County residents make appointments to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.

According to the health network, all available appointments — north of 2,000 through the first two weeks of February — were quickly filled within an hour. Chief Medical Officer Dr. Nirmal Joshi said the hospital has already requested additional doses from the state’s Department of Health.

“Our goal is to vaccinate as many people as soon as possible. Unfortunately, at this time, demand for the vaccine greatly exceeds supply locally, across the state, and across the nation,” Joshi said in a statement. “We will open more clinics as DOH provides us with additional vaccine.”

Currently, self-scheduled vaccine appointments are available only to a select few groups of individuals. Health care personnel, individuals 65 and older, and those between 16 and 64 who are immunocompromised or possess “high-risk” conditions are eligible.

Mount Nittany said it’ll announce more appointment dates in the future once it receives an additional shipment of doses. And even though the vaccine’s dispersal is growing, Joshi encouraged local residents to continue taking steps to mitigate the virus’s spread.

“While vaccination is a critical step in mitigating the spread of the virus, it will take time for enough of the population to be vaccinated to make a significant difference in the spread of the virus,” Joshi said. “This is why we must all continue to mask, practice social distancing and frequently wash our hands. We appreciate the community’s patience as we work to vaccinate as many people as possible with the goal of putting an end to the pandemic.”

In the meantime, Mount Nittany Medical Center is currently treating 28 COVID-19-positive patients aged between 13 and 96. The hospital has admitted 203 virus-positive patients so far this month.

“While hospitalizations remain high, the past several weeks have seen COVID inpatient numbers trending lower,” Joshi said.

Centre County reported 60 new COVID-19 cases Friday, bringing its cumulative total to 10,985 cases since its first last spring.