PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Philadelphia officials are urging residents over age 65 to get vaccinated, as new cases of COVID-19 continue to rise.
Not only are cases rising, Health Commissioner Dr. Tom Farley says they are hitting more vulnerable people. The number of hospitalizations for COVID-19 has more than doubled from earlier this month.
"We need to get as many people over 65 as possible vaccinated now, to prevent deaths," farley said Tuesday.
Farley says 80% of the 3,200 fatal cases in the city have been in people over 65.
He says the city is on track to open vaccines up to all adults on May 1, and he wants to make sure everyone over 65 is vaccinated by then so they don’t get squeezed out. He says the city is making progress toward that goal, with more than half of that age group now vaccinated.