The site is expected to open on March 3, FEMA announced Friday.
FEMA, CDC, HHS, the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency, and the City of Philadelphia are teaming up to open the vaccination site.
“Much remains to be worked out,” said Dr. Thomas Farley, Philadelphia Health Commissioner, at a press conference.
FEMA and federal partners plan to support the site through personnel, operations, logistics and vaccine allocation.
“The Philadelphia site, like other federally supported sites around the country, was selected based on data analysis, including the CDC’s Social Vulnerability Index and other Census data, as well as input from our state and local partners,” said FEMA in a press release.
According to FEMA, the Philadelphia site could have a vaccination throughput of several thousand doses per day, once at maximum operating capacity, and would receive its own vaccination assignment, in addition to what the city of Philadelphia is already receiving.
Farley echoed the assignment information during his briefing.
“The federal government has several sites that they designate as Type 1 and Type 2. This is a Type 1 site. The vaccines will come with federal support, so it will not be taken out of our local allocation,” Farley said.
FEMA said ensuring that vulnerable and underserved populations have access to vaccines was a priority in the site selection process.
“The Pennsylvania Convention Center’s central location, public transit access, logistics capacity, large size and existing city contracts to support vaccination operations made it a natural choice for the first federally operated site in Pennsylvania,” said FEMA.
FEMA and federal partner agencies said they will provide clinical and support staff for the site, “giving the City of Philadelphia time to focus staff and resources on vaccination efforts in urban neighborhoods.”
“We think the convention center can handle the large volume we’re talking about. A Type 1 site should be 6,000 people a day, which is quite a few people, but it’s a very large convention center and it has excellent transportation options. Farley said.
Specific details about an opening date and the registration process are yet to come, FEMA said.
“Every city in the country, including Philadelphia, is currently struggling with not having enough COVID vaccine to meet the demand of their residents, so this center will make a huge difference,” Mayor Jim Kenney said in a statement. “We look forward to seeing this COVID-19 vaccination center join our system of vaccine distribution channels, including community clinics, hospitals, nearby health centers, pharmacies, mobile sites and more.”
FEMA is working with Pennsylvania officials to assess other potential federally funded vaccination sites in the state.
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