COVID In Philadelphia: FEMA Administering Final Vaccine Doses Before Ceasing Operations Tuesday
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- FEMA, the operator of two COVID-19 vaccination centers in Philadelphia, is reaching the end of its service in the city. Clinics at the Pennsylvania Convention Center and Esperanza Community Center will cease operations this Tuesday. Eyewitness News spoke with residents who received their second dose on FEMA's last weekend in Philadelphia.
One final chance to get a COVID-19 vaccination through FEMA.
"Getting the vaccine is easy," Jordan Randall said.
FEMA will cease operating its mass vaccination site on Tuesday at both the Pennsylvania Convention Center and Esperanza Community Center. The organization says they've inoculated 25,000 Philadelphians in under-vaccinated communities through eight weeks and 350,000 overall.
"It's a good thing for the city to make it accessible for the other people," Amadou Diallo said.
Saturday, the site continued finishing its allotment of second doses. As people filed out onto 12th Street, they say they were grateful to have the site there, a needed stabilizer after a sluggish start to the vaccination effort in Philadelphia after the city initially partnered with Philly Fighting Covid in January.
"Knowing there was a place here that is helping Philadelphia a place where we can go back to normality was really, really nice," Selena Chen said.
"I think by coming in, they were able to provide a lot of information to settled people's doubts and got them the information they needed to make informed decisions and feel comfortable with the whole process," Noah Eng said. "Ultimately, that's how I ended up getting mine."
FEMA claims 25% of the doses administered through Philadelphia have come at the Pennsylvania Convention Center. They say currently, there more than 280 other places to receive the vaccine if you haven't already.
Other vaccine clinics are still going strong across the city.
The Black Doctors COVID-19 Consortium hosted a clinic called the "Philly Vax Jawn" at the Dell Music Center in East Fairmount Park. It was the actually "Vax Jawn Two" with several hundred people there to receive their second doses.
A few hundred more got their first shots, including dozens of children 12 and older.
The Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson and Johnson vaccines all were administered at the event.
Meanwhile, the Philadelphia Eagles are encouraging young people to get vaccinated.
The Eagles teamed up with the Philadelphia Fire Department to host a youth clinic at the firehouse on Ogontz Avenue.
Along with COVID-19 vaccinations, the Eagles Charitable Foundation and Vision to Learn offered free eye screenings for children and teens.
