Philadelphia Opens Mass Coronavirus Vaccination Site

Philadelphia PA

08 January, 2021

2:47 PM

Description

PHILADELPHIA — On Friday, Philadelphia saw its first mass coronavirus vaccination site open its doors. The city teamed up with Philly Fighting Covid to open the first community mass vaccine clinic in the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Center City. This site was established to vaccinate home healthcare workers and other unaffiliated healthcare workers against coronavirus. Up to 2,000 healthcare workers can be vaccinated at this clinic, which is open to those who have been invited only. Invitees include home homecare workers, dentists, and other unaffiliated healthcare workers. "Administering COVID vaccine to every Philadelphian is the single most important thing that we can do to end the pandemic," Deputy Health Commissioner Dr. Caroline Johnson said. "And by ensuring that those who are at the highest risk of being exposed get vaccinated first, we can help to save lives and protect our healthcare system until everyone has the ability to get a vaccine. Today's clinic is an important step toward that goal." As part of their response to the coronavirus pandemic, the city is working to distribute coronavirus vaccines to all Philadelphians according to a prioritization scheme developed by the city's Vaccine Advisory Committee, with input from more than 40 experts in public health, healthcare, ethics, and community leaders. The prioritization scheme is based on protecting those at the highest risk of exposure and/or poor outcomes. People in the first priority group, or Phase 1a, are healthcare workers and residents of long-term care facilities or nursing homes. Details on who will be inlcuded in Phase 1B are being worked out now by the Vaccine Advisory Committee "Over the past six-months, Philly Fighting Covid has worked in lock-step with the Philadelphia Department of Public Health to prepare to inoculate everyone who wants a vaccine in Philadelphia," said, Andrei Doroshin, Founder and CEO of Philly Fighting Covid. "The first community mass vaccination clinic opening today in Philadelphia serves as a blueprint for designing mass clinics across our city and country that ensure maximum safety, efficiency, and patient privacy while administering more than 50x the daily vaccines that we administered during the H1N1 pandemic. This clinic is a reminder of what can be done when we come together to solve challenges and a promise of more good things to come for the City of Philadelphia." Philadelphia's Health Department is encouraging only healthcare workers to register to be contacted about receiving a vaccine. As more vaccine doses become available, more people will be encouraged to register. All other Philadelphians are being encouraged to begin the registration process for a vaccine by committing to get the vaccine eventually online here. This pre-commitment form requires Philadelphians interested in a vaccine to provide personal information, including their name, contact information, occupation, and where they live and work, and signs them up to receive updates about the status of vaccine administration across the City and when it's their turn to be vaccinated. Pre-commit is not required to receive a vaccine, but doing so helps inform Philly Fighting Covid and the city's plans for making vaccinations available to anyone who wants one.