Fully Vaccinating Philly Could Take A Year: City Health Officials

PHILADELPHIA — Coronavirus vaccines are trickling into Philadelphia, and fully vaccinating the city could take a year at the current rate, officials said.

During a news conference Tuesday, Health Commissioner Dr. Thomas Farley said getting the vaccine to Philadelphia's 1.6 million residents could take 12 months if vaccine administration stands at the current rate.

"I wanted to give people a reality check given the number of doses we are getting on a weekly basis," he said. "I hope that the vaccine manufacturers can speed up production so we can get more vaccines."

Two other vaccines are in phase three trials, Farley said.

As of Sunday, 28,476 people in Philadelphia have been vaccinated, and that figure represents 39 percent of doses allocated to Philadelphia.

According to Farley, second doses of the Pfizer vaccine will be given this week.

The city will be getting 9,500 doses of the Moderna vaccine as well as 9,750 doses of the Pfizer vaccine each week through January, Farley said.

Of the Pfizer doses, 3,900 doses will go to pharmacies for vaccinations at nursing homes, which are part of the 1A phase of vaccine administration along with healthcare workers. Pharmacists are scheduled to visit 22 nursing homes this week for vaccinations. Vaccinating all Philadelphia nursing homes will take about two months, Farley said.

Farley said this week 26 Rite Aids in the city will begin offering vaccinations for healthcare workers who do not work in hospital settings, such as primary care physician offices and home health aide settings. Farley emphasized these vaccination sites are not open to the public and not offering walk-in vaccinations.

Additionally, federal qualified health centers, which are large clinics in the city, will be given doses for them to vaccinate their own workers.

Farley said while many residents are eager to be vaccinated, they must be prepared to wait.

"Please be patient," he said speaking to those who want the vaccine. "Understand we want to do this, we want to get to you as soon as possible, but we simply can't do it right now."

The next phase of vaccinations, phase 1B, will include frontline essential workers and possibly those 70 and older. The full definition of who qualifies as 1B has yet to be established, Farley said.

"I would like to see them get vaccinated as soon as possible," Mayor Jim Kenney said, adding that getting kids back into schools is a major step in returning to normalcy.

The 1B group may be given vaccines in early February, but vaccinating that group could take months due to its size.

Farley said those who get vaccinated should still wear masks and social distance.

As of Tuesday, Philadelphia has had 94,127 total cases of the virus and 2,521 total coronavirus deaths. Of those deaths, 1,018 — or 40 percent — have been long-term care facility residents.

Additionally, 693 patients with coronavirus are being treated in Philadelphia hospitals, 97 of which are on ventilators.