The latest news on the COVID-19 Vaccine and its distribution in Pennsylvania and Philadelphia, as of April 8
Pennsylvania
COVID-19 cases are up 75% in Pennsylvania since mid-march. Much of the spike has been attributed to the B.1.1.7 variant of the virus. Additionally, the percentage of tests that were positive for COVID-19 have risen sharply from 5.7% on March 11th to 9.4% on April 1. Hospitalizations also continue to rise, but deaths from COVID-19 continue to decline as more seniors receive the vaccination.
In Pennsylvania, Bar and restaurant capacity has been raised to 75% from 50% for self-certified establishments, though customers will still need to be six feet apart. Those restaurants that do not self-certify may raise capacity to 50%.Outdoor venues will be allowed 50% capacity. Indoor events like concerts and sports events will be restricted to 25% capacity.
Here are the seven Pennsylvania counties experiencing the swiftest upswing in new COVID-19 cases:
Wyoming County: 885 new cases per 100,000 residents (237 new cases)
Northampton County: 733 new cases per 100,000 residents (2,239 new cases)
Monroe County: 677 new cases per 100,000 residents (1,153 new cases)
Berks County: 633 new cases per 100,000 residents (2,668 new cases)
Clearfield County: 632 new cases per 100,000 residents (501 new cases)
Bucks County: 614 new cases per 100,000 residents (3,860 new cases)
Pike County: 607 new cases per 100,000 residents (339 new cases)
Vaccine
Pennsylvania, including Philadelphia, will open up COVID-19 eligibility to all adults on April 19th. Additional updates:
Additional Updates
PA eases restrictions on Schools:
Following the CDC recommendations, PA Dept of Education has now said that schools can offer in-person instruction even if community transmission of the coronavirus is substantial.
In counties where transmission of the virus is moderate, schools can operate fully in person.
Philadelphia
The rate of new COVID-19 cases has doubled in the last month. However, the city is know allowing all adults to begin receiving the vaccine on April 19th,
Vaccine Updates
More than 25% of Philadelphia residents have now received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. At the end of March, the city set a record for administering 122,000 vaccine shots in one week. Most of the vaccines are being administered at the FEMA operation at the Convention Center that is slated to close at the end of April. Next week, the clinic will begin to use the one-doe J&J vaccine for two weeks. The city has asked FEMA to keep the Convention Center site running. FEMA hasn’t given an answer. Overall, about 16.7% of the city's population have been fully vaccinated.
A new FEMA-run site will open on Esperanza’s campus in North Philly this Friday. It will be a “Type II” site with the capacity of administering about 2,500 doses per day.
Additional Updates
Bar service returns in Pennsylvania; Phillies now allowing 11,000 fans
In Philadelphia if restaurants meet a ventilation standard they can have indoor dining at 50% capacity. If they do not, they can have indoor dining at 25% capacity. The city will allow the maximum capacity of outdoor catered events to expand to 250 people, with some restrictions.
