Starting this Wednesday, the FEMA-operated mass COVID vaccination site at the Pennsylvania Convention Center will begin accepting walk-up patients in addition to those who have made appointments. The site will accept walk-ups from eligible Philadelphia residents (Phases 1A and 1B) who live in 22 most under-vaccinated zip codes, including the following zip codes in West and Southwest Philadelphia:

19104, 19131, 19139, 19142, 19143, 19151, 19153

The FEMA vaccination site opened on March 3rd and is scheduled to operate through April 30th. The site, which is currently administering the Pfizer vaccine, has reported many unused doses at the end of each day of operation, mostly due to cancelled appointments made by people who don’t live in the city. The goal of the walk-up clinic is to make the vaccine more accessible to Philadelphians. Continue Reading

The School District of Philadelphia has announced today that 35 more schools can re-open for in-person learning starting next Monday, March 22, according to the agreement with the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers (PFT). The following school buildings have been approved for re-opening:

Bache-Martin School
Clara Barton School
James G. Blaine School
Bridesburg School
George W. Childs School
James Dobson School
Paul L. Dunbar School Continue Reading

Philadelphia authorities have expanded eligibility criteria for COVID-19 vaccines by adding people ages 65-74 to Phase 1B of vaccine distribution in the city, which is currently underway. The announcement was made earlier today and this change is effective immediately. Before this change, only Philly residents age 75 and older were eligible for the vaccines under the current phase, besides some groups of essential workers, people with chronic health conditions and people living and working in congregate settings. Continue Reading

The School District of Philadelphia has announced reopening of 45 more schools for in-person learning, in addition to the first cohort of 53 schools that have reopened today. The following schools will reopen for in-person learning on Monday, March 15:

A.L. Fitzpatrick School

Abram Jenks School

Alexander Adaire School

Andrew Jackson School

Benjamin B. Comegys School Continue Reading

The Promise Zone’s Health and Wellness Committee is hosting a virtual panel discussion about the COVID-19 vaccines on Tuesday, March 9. If you have any questions about the vaccines and their distribution in the city, this is a great opportunity to ask them.

The panelists include:

• Dr. Claiborne Childs, Medical Director of Hospital Medicine Services, Penn Presbyterian Medical Center

• Yaya Diakite, Director of Security, Penn Presbyterian Medical Center

• Dr. Annette Gadegbeku, Assistant Dean of Community Health, Drexel University College of Medicine

• Alicia Williams, Registered nurse, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia

• Kiara Benson, COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution Coordinator, Philadelphia Department of Public Health

The event will begin at 6 p.m. Registration link: https://bit.ly/3upvza3. The event will also be live on Facebook on the Philadelphia Office of Community Empowerment and Opportunity page. Questions can be submitted online here.

A FEMA-run mass COVID-19 vaccination site officially opened today at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Center City. The site will be open seven days a week from 8 a.m. until 8 p.m. through April 30. It receives its own allocation of the Pfizer vaccine directly from the federal government (separately from the city’s allocation) and has a capacity to vaccinate as many as 6,000 people per day.

The site is operating by appointment only with no walk-ups accepted. Philadelphians from phases 1A and 1B who have completed the city’s COVID-19 Vaccine Interest form are receiving invitations to register for an appointment at the site. (Check out this report by WHYY on how vaccine appointment invitation links sent out by email to eligible individuals were shared with ineligible folks who were also able to register for an appointment. The city has canceled those ineligible appointments and is working on fixing this issue for future appointments).  Continue Reading