Philadelphia Eyes Having City Fully Vaccinated By Mid-Summer As Third Mass Vaccination Clinic Opens
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Pennsylvania, this Saturday, hit 24,000 COVID-19 deaths. It comes as the City of Philadelphia opened its third mass vaccination clinic on Saturday.
"No hesitation at all," Vlualyn Coniglend said.
Coniglend was one of the first people to roll up her sleeve at Philadelphia's mass vaccination site at the University of the Sciences. She says her decision to get it was a matter of life or death.
"Keep us here, you know. A lot of people don't want to take it, but I'm taking mine," she said. "My husband took his. He's a veteran at the VA."
The location in University City is the third mass vaccination site in the city.
With the three locations combined, they hope to vaccinate 3,000 people a day. With hospitals, pharmacies, clinics and other locations, there are currently over 100 approved vaccination sites in the city. With the mass vaccination sites, the city is targeting under-served areas.
"Getting the vaccine out to those at the highest risk is a top priority of the city," Mayor Jim Kenney said. "And we believe this clinic is yet another step in helping provide easier access to vaccines to the residents right here in West Philadelphia."
The city is still only vaccinating people in groups 1A and 1B, which includes people over the age of 75 and people with certain chronic illnesses.
If all goes according to plan and there are no disruptions, they say the city could be fully vaccinated by early summer.
"If we go at the rate we're going now, I hope to be finished with Phase 1B at the end of April. Finish with 1C at the end of May and then June. we're in Phase 2, which means anybody can get vaccinated," Philadelphia Health Commissioner Dr. Thomas Farley said. "And then, I hope to be finished with everyone getting vaccinated by the end of July."
Since mid-December, 97,000 people in Philadelphia have been fully vaccinated while 290,000 thousand have received at least one shot.
The goal is to get to herd immunity by July, they say the Johnson & Johnson vaccine could speed up that goal. It only requires one shot.
