Delco Residents 65 And Up Now Included In 1B Vaccination Phase

DELAWARE COUNTY, PA — As progress is made in vaccinating the Phase 1A group in Delaware County, officials laid out who will be included in the next phase. However, it's unclear when vaccinations for the next phase will begin.

Officials Friday detailed who will be included in the next phase, 1B, including a new population.

Below are those who will be given vaccine priority in Phase 1B:

• childcare Staff
• corrections staff
• county and municipal administration staff
• educators and education staff
• firefighters
• food and agriculture staff
• grocery store staff
• law enforcement
• manufacturing staff
• transit staff
• U.S. Postal Service staff

New to Phase 1B are residents age 65 and older.

Phase 1B includes people who live or work in Delaware County.

"While we do not have a definitive time for advancing into Phase 1B, we are eager to move into that phase once we confirm that Phase 1A is well enough underway, and we are not limited in our vaccine supply," officials said Friday. "Phase 1B groups are encouraged to educate their workforce about the importance of receiving the vaccine."

Residents and organizations are encouraged to fill out the Phase 1B Vaccine Interest Survey to indicate interest in receiving the vaccine. Submitted information will be shared with the Vaccination Team who will send communication about registering for vaccine appointments as vaccine and time slots become available.

The county is administering vaccinations to people who live or work in Delaware County and are in the priority Phase 1A group. This group includes healthcare workers, EMS workers, residents and staff of long-term care facilities, and medical examiner and funeral staff.

The Citizen Corps of Delaware County is looking to bring on people with formal medical training to help ensure local vaccination efforts are successful. See details on nurses sought for vaccine administration here.

Due to the limited supply of the vaccine, healthcare workers, EMS staff, long-term care facilities, and medical examiner and funeral staff are the priority for vaccination distribution.

As of Jan. 15, 13,336 vaccines were administered in the county, which is a similar rate compared to neighboring counties.

Unaffiliated healthcare providers should also check with local health systems for information on
the vaccine becoming available at those locations as spots open up in their health system.

Officials are preparing to open the Delaware County Wellness Center later this month in Yeadon, which will serve as a storage and vaccination site. Two other locations are being eyed as vaccination sites.

The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are the only vaccines being administered in the United States, and both vaccines require two doses for full effectiveness. A second shot is given three weeks after the first shot in order to provide the most protection.