PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Philadelphia children between the ages of 5 and 11 are less vaccinated than previously reported, the Philadelphia Department of Public Health admitted Wednesday.
The department released updated data, saying the correction was made after a “routine review” involving data from the state.
The department’s COVID-19 dashboard had previously shown about 54% of kids between 5 and 11 years old were vaccinated with at least one dose, but the corrected data shows it is closer to 34%.
The data corrections were more minor for older teens and adults. For ages 18 and older, about 76% are fully vaccinated, compared to earlier reports of 82%.
The health department said it has been difficult to track and combine case counts and vaccine data due to the “lack of a national health system that standardizes data collection.”
“We were excited to see a high percentage of Philadelphia youth vaccinated, but we have learned that there was an error in how that percentage was calculated,” added Health Commissioner Dr. Cheryl Bettigole. “No one is more disappointed than we are at this error, but we have corrected it and instituted new measures to ensure that any future problems are caught before they go live.”
The corrected Philadelphia vaccination rate among 5- to 11-year-olds is still higher than the national average: About 33% have had one dose while 26% have had two.
The Philadelphia School District gave this statement in full late Wednesday afternoon:
Our number one priority remains to keep our students in school, full-time and in-person where we know they learn best. We recognize that this includes a responsibility to move our school communities closer to a sense of normalcy, as COVID-19 conditions allow. Over the past several weeks, COVID-19 case counts in Philadelphia have remained consistently low. Effective tomorrow, Wednesday, March 9, the School District of Philadelphia will implement a mask optional policy for all buildings and schools. This change will not occur in our PreK Head Start programs, as the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services still requires masking for all PreK Head Start students and staff. Please note, that as a precaution to help minimize the risk of a COVID surge following Spring break, all students and staff will be required to wear a mask April 18-22. The District will continue taking every measure possible to maintain safe and healthy schools and offices and we will expect students, staff and families to also take steps to keep each other well as we strive for a caring and inclusive community. The School District of Philadelphia will continue to work closely with PDPH and other public health experts to ensure that our policies are in line with what is recommended to maintain the health and wellness of our students, staff and families.