Lines Wrap Around Block For Philadelphia's First 24-Hour Walk-Up Vaccination Site At Temple University's Liacouras Center
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- All day and all night, the Black Doctors COVID-19 Consortium will be vaccinating as many people as it can during a 24-hour vaccination clinic. It's being held at Temple University's Liacouras Center.
There have been long lines outside the Liacouras Center, but the people are not lined up for a show. They are all here for serious business -- getting their COVID-19 vaccine.
Four different lines, grouped by age and condition, wrap around the block.
The Black Doctors COVID-19 Consortium is holding a 24-hour clinic to get as many people vaccinated as they can.
Some people have been waiting for hours to get inside. And once they do, they receive either their first or second dose of the Moderna vaccine.
Although it is first-come, first-serve for those in phase 1B, particular zip codes are being prioritized. The focus is on communities that are not only disproportionately affected by the coronavirus, they're also faced with low vaccination rates.
Senior citizens over the age of 75 and those in wheelchairs have their own separate line. They get to wait comfortably in the gym until they get their shot. Others have been standing in line for hours.
"Quite a few media friends standing in the line for three, four hours, waiting to get their first shot. I'm so excited to see so many people out here because they said we didn't want to do it but we did because we trust [Black Doctors COVID-19 Consortium founder] Dr. Ala Stanford. She really is the impetus behind why so many people of color are out here," Northeast Philly resident Andrea Lawful Sanders said.
"My knees, my legs, my back and my thighs hurt," Olney resident Evelyn Carter said.
After nine hours of standing in the cold, and being snowed on, that's how Carter's body is feeling, along with hundreds of others determined to get a vaccine through the Black Doctors COVID-19 Consortium's 24-hour clinic.
"I walked all the way around the block and it showed me Black people do want to be vaccinated. All we need is the opportunity for you guys to address us, open the doors up for us so we can come get vaccinated," North Philadelphia resident Gloria Buchanan said.
The consortium's 24-hour clinic started at noon Friday and will wrap up Saturday at noon.
But as people waited in line for hours for a chance to bear their arm, somehow a fire broke out at the Liacouras Center as people were being vaccinated.
According to the Philadelphia Fire Department, the flames came from a rubbish fire. But people in line didn't allow the blaze to turn them away.
"I need it. Remember, the drug store doesn't have the service, Walgreens, nothing like that," Minerva Mindoza said.
Snacks and water were offered for those braving the cold of winter. For many, it was their first meal all day.
But they say the life-saving vaccine is worth the wait.
"If there was no Black doctors, listen, we'd be in trouble if they wasn't doing it here," Rommie Thomas said.
Organizers say they will be not stopped by snow or much else. They will continue giving shots around the clock until noon Saturday.
CBS3's Alecia Reid and Kimberly Davis contributed to this report.
