A 24-hour coronavirus vaccination event to get people in Philadelphia’s hardest-hit neighborhoods vaccinated against COVID-19 drew a crowd willing to wait a block in the snow.
The Black Doctors COVID-19 Consortium will hold a “Vaxathon” from 12:00 noon Friday to 12:00 noon Saturday at Temple University’s Liacouras Center on North Broad Street in North Philadelphia. The walk-up vaccine event is first-come, first-served.
People lined up in the cold sleet and snow on Friday morning before the event started. They said they wanted to make sure they got a spot for a vaccine.
“If I can use the tailgate for the Eagles and sit out in the cold all day, why can’t you come out and get the tailgate yourself?” said Pastor Gregory Lingham, bundled up on a lawn chair as the sleet came down.
Reverend Lingham said he wanted to set an example by coming out to get his shot.
“When I come out as a minister, maybe my constituents will see me doing it, and maybe they’ll come out and do it.”
Not just anyone can walk upstairs to get a dose of the coronavirus vaccine.
The event focuses on vaccinating people in Philadelphia’s 1B vaccination group. The BDCC aims to serve “front-line workers at high risk for exposure who perform essential tasks, those who work and reside in a communal environment, those aged 75 and older, and those with high risk medical conditions,” said a flyer for the event. .
You must also be able to prove that you live (ID card, utility bill) in one of the “zip codes with the highest incidence of illness and death from COVID-19 during the pandemic,” the organizers said. These are the 20 zip codes you must live in to receive your vaccine: 19104, 19119, 19120, 19121, 19123, 19126, 19131, 19132, 19133, 19138, 19139, 19140, 19141, 19142, 19143, 19144, 19146, 19150 19151, 19153.
Philly’s federal health centers are getting more doses
The 24-hour vaxathon comes as Philly Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) are poised to receive more doses to help vulnerable communities – and the White House says an upcoming FEMA-run clinic at the Pennsylvania Convention Center will also help achieve this goal. to achieve.
Initial data on who received vaccinations showed that 8% of patients were African American, partly because of racial differences in health care, who were the first to receive an injection. The percentage has now risen to 20%.
In a press conference Friday, Dr. Scott McNeal of Delaware Valley Community Health said two FQHCs from his Philadelphia organization are administering vaccines from the city. The organization hopes to start firing at a third location in the city as soon as it receives doses directly from the federal government.
The Health Resources and Services Administration selected Del Val, PHMC, and Family Practice and Counseling Network as 3 organizations in the city to receive vaccine doses direct from the federal government, among 250 nationwide.
The HRSA said it had selected sites for patients who are homeless, who live in social housing, are seasonal workers, or have limited English speaking skills.
McNeal said Del Val is shooting 500 shots a week and could go up to 1,000 a week when the third site opens. Health Commissioner Dr. Thomas Farley said federally qualified health centers in the city collectively administered 5,000 shots last week.
The Black Doctors COVID-19 Consortium receives 2500 doses per week from the city.
McNeal said the health centers can reach their own patients in vulnerable communities. In the press conference, Farley cited a study that found that patients are most likely to trust their own doctor or nurse for information about the vaccine, compared to celebrities or public health officials.
“We are not trying to be a mass vaccination site. We’re trying to complement those massive vaccination sites, ”said McNeal.
McNeal said the BDCC’s work is commendable but will be limited to reaching interested parties.
“There are people who hesitate and won’t respond to them. And there’s no way a mass vaccination site can get to those people … If they don’t respond, how do we know they’re out there?” We know who those patients are and we’re doing the outreach to them, ”said McNeal.
He said doctors and staff will call eligible patients they know and convince them to take the photos.
“It’s a lot more labor-intensive because we have to find them and try to convince them to come in. But it’s worth it to get to those really at-risk patients,” McNeal said.