PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Philadelphia is moving to the next phase of its vaccine distribution plan.
Health Commissioner Dr. Tom Farley announced on Tuesday that the city can move to Phase 1b of administering the COVID-19 vaccine immediately. More than 72,000 Philadelphians have received the vaccine so far, which is most of Phase 1a.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Phase 1a includes health care workers and residents and employees of long-term care facilities. Phase 1b includes police and firefighters and other essential jobs like grocery store workers. It also includes residents who are 65 and older.
Philadelphia’s Phase 1b, however, includes some front-line essential workers, people who live and work in congregate settings, people 75 and older, and people with high-risk medical conditions, like cancer, chronic kidney disease, diabetes, and those under care for organ transplantation.
Last week, the CDC recommended states start vaccinating people 65 and older immediately, rather than wait for Phase 1b. Some states complied, including New Jersey and Pennsylvania, as of Tuesday.
Philadelphia’s vaccine allotment is separate from the state’s, so it has a little more autonomy to tailor to the city’s needs. As such, the city’s guidance is different from the suburbs and the rest of the state.
Due to the large number of people in this phase — more than 100,000 — and the limited number of doses being delivered to the city, Farley said some residents may have to wait a while before receiving a vaccination.
Right now, the city receives about 20,000 doses a week.
“It’s going to take many weeks for the people on this list to get vaccinated,” said Farley. “Eventually, they’ll get to everyone, but again, I ask that everyone please be patient.”
Health care workers, who were prioritized in 1a, can still receive vaccines if they have not already.
The Philadelphia Department of Public Health is also reaching out to first responders, corrections officers, service providers, and public transit workers to schedule appointments to be immunized.
The city hopes to launch a form online later this week, where people can register for vaccine appointments. Then, they’ll be notified as they become eligible.
In the meantime, Farley is concerned about a second case of the U.K. variant of the virus identified in Philadelphia.
“The impact of this variant on the spread here is unknown. It could be that it’s more infectious and it could make the epidemic worse in the city. The main thing that we need to take from this now is we need to be even more consistent in wearing masks and keep distant from others,” he said, emphasizing that still applies to people who have been vaccinated.
Philadelphia has surpassed more than 100,000 cases of COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic.
“This is an unfortunate reminder that COVID is still very much with us,” said Mayor Jim Kenney. “And I have no doubt that without 10 months of hard work, Dr. Farley’s leadership, precautions and — yes — restrictions that none of us likes — we would have hit that dubious milestone far earlier. The vaccine will take months to fully roll out, so our diligence, and our devotion to helping others — must continue.”