Coronavirus Vaccines Arriving In Philadelphia This Week

PHILADELPHIA — More than 13,000 does of the Pfizer-made coronavirus vaccine are coming to Philadelphia this week, according to officials.

Philadelphia Department of Public Health communications director James Garrow Monday told Patch the city is getting 13,650 doses this week.

Garrow said the department received a shipment of vaccines Monday. Hospitals in the city will be getting doses throughout the week.

"We were told by the CDC to expect shipments of a number of doses Tuesday," he said.

Pennsylvania Health Secretary Rachel Levine said the state is expected to receive 97,500 doses this week, which will be distributed at 83 hospitals throughout the state. Another shipment of the Pfizer vaccine is expected next week, but exact amounts are not yet known.

Healthcare facilities that get vaccines Tuesday are planning to inoculate staff beginning Wednesday.

The vaccine rollout is in Phase 1-A, meaning healthcare workers and residents of nursing home facilities will be give doses first. Garrow said healthcare workers are not just doctors and nurses, but also include anyone who has a patient interaction in a healthcare setting. This includes front desk staff, cleaning professionals, and more.

However, the CDC recommends nursing home residents be vaccinated when doses can be administered to 50 percent of the entire nursing home population. Garrow said city nursing homes working with the CDC and private pharmacies to vaccinate residents by sending representatives to nursing homes to hold vaccination clinics.

When vaccines are more widely available, Phase 2 will begin and expand access to other priority groups such as moderate-risk essential workers and additional persons who might experience complications of infection. Garrow said the CDC is working to define "essential worker" and that the city hopes the definition includes people such as grocery store workers and retail checkout clerks, as well as first responders. If the CDC does not provide a detailed definition, the city has the ability to further define what classifies as an essential worker to include those people.

In Phase 3, vaccine supplies will be available for the entire population.

Garrow said the city has not run surveys on how willing Philadelphians are to get vaccinated, but national surveys show about 80 percent of people would accept the vaccine.

The department is discussion a media campaign aimed at boosting vaccinations, but the talks are preliminary as officials work to vaccinate the first Philadelphians.

With the Pfizer vaccine approved and being distributed, Garrow said the Moderna vaccine is expected to be granted emergency use approval by the FDA this week with a rollout planned for next week.

As of Monday, the city has identified 80,485 cases of the coronavirus since March 10. Additionally, eight more coronavirus deaths have been reported, bringing the city's death toll to 2,135. Of the 2,135 total deaths, 958 or 45 percent were long-term care facility residents.

In Philadelphia hospitals, 897 coronavirus patients are currently being treated, with 118 on ventilators.