PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Philadelphia Health Commissioner Dr. Tom Farley said the city is gearing up to meet President Joe Biden's goal of making COVID-19 vaccinations available to all adults by May 1.
Farley said the city was planning to open vaccinations to the general population on June 1, so the president's timetable means it would have to ramp up the number of vaccines being administered.
He said federal workers joining the effort — including more allied health professionals who would be permitted to give shots — will help.
"It's really great to see federal leadership on this and we are going to be in sync with the federal government on this," he added.
At the same time, the city is dealing with a persistent dilemma making sure the vaccine is being distributed equitably. Farley said the city sends the vast majority of appointment invitations to people living in under-vaccinated ZIP codes, but they continue to be under-represented at the FEMA clinic at the Pennsylvania Convention Center.
There are a growing number of clinics popping up in those communities, but Rev. Luis Cortés, founder of Esperanza, said they need more.
"Hispanic people live on Fifth Street, so we need clinics on Fifth Street, and we haven't been able to get them," he said.
Only about 5% of the people who have been vaccinated in the city so far are Hispanic.
