Philadelphia’s Phase 1B eligible people could get the coronavirus vaccine at a massive clinic starting Feb. 22, the city announced Tuesday, warning those who were further back on the line that the current phase could take weeks.
The city’s health department will run three first-dose clinics and three second-dose clinics a week with the goal of vaccinating about 500 patients a day, health commissioner Dr. Thomas Farley told commissioners.
The health department will contact people and ask them to make an appointment. You will find the list of Phase 1B eligible people who have filled out the vaccine interest registration form at phila.gov/vaccineinterest. People without reliable Internet access or computer skills can register through the city’s COVID call center at 215-685-5488.
To qualify for the Philly Phase 1B vaccine, beginning February 2, people should apply to one of the following groups:
- Over 75 years;
- With certain high-risk health conditions: cancer, chronic kidney disease, or a recent organ transplant;
- Essential front-line workers such as prison staff, lifeguards and service providers working with vulnerable people.
Farley was waiting for more details after President Joe Biden announced that the federal government would expand vaccine dose shipments to pharmacies. It’s not clear how many more doses Philly will get, but it would add to the city’s current allocation of 20,000 doses of Pfizer and Modern each week.
The recently announced additional doses would go to Rite Aid and Shop Rite pharmacies. The city will contact eligible people (who signed up on the vaccine interest form) and refer them to pharmacy time slots as they become available.
Vaccination against COVID patients against Philly
The city is also tying the loose ends after cutting ties with a vaccine provider whose practices raised doubts. Deputy Assistant Commissioner for Additional Health, Dr Caroline Johnson, resigned this weekend after it was revealed she had given information on a proposal to some, but not all, applicants to administer doses of vaccine, including Philly Fighting COVID.
The group, led by 22-year-old Dreixel student Andrei Doroshin, went on vaccines after making PPE and running test sites. He managed to shoot about 6,700 people at the Pennsilvani Convention Center before the city closed the arrangement over concerns about patient data and the change to the for-profit state.
Starting Wednesday, Feb. 3, the city’s health department will run second-dose clinics for patients who received their first dose of Philly Fighting COVID.
Farley said the clinics will take place every day this week through Feb. 6. About 2,500 people will receive their second dose at this clinic this week.
More clinics will be scheduled for next week and about 4,400 people are expected to be vaccinated.
In a letter last week, Mayor Jim Kenney asked Farley to give doses that would have gone to Philly Fighting COVID in the COVID-19 Consortium of Black Doctors. The BDCC is receiving 2,000 doses this week and will have 2,500 next week. He changed his clinic Tuesday from a West Philadelphia church to Temple University’s Liacouras Center because of the snow, Kenney said.