PHILADELPHIA – The Philadelphia Department of Public Health today announced 330 additional confirmed cases of COVID-19 novel coronavirus in Philadelphia. That brings the number of confirmed cases to 115,997. In addition, the Department of Public Health also announced 97 new probable cases from rapid antigen tests. 

The Department of Public Health confirmed 12 additional fatalities in Philadelphia. This brings the number of residents who have succumbed to the virus in Philadelphia to 3,169. Of the 3,169 total deaths, 1,162 (37%) were long-term care facility residents.

The Department of Public Health reports 217 patients with COVID-19 are currently being treated in Philadelphia hospitals, with a total of 34 on ventilators.

Community Vaccination Sites: Mayor Kenney and Health Commissioner Dr. Thomas Farley today announced five new City-run mass vaccination sites throughout Philadelphia. “These new sites are one more aspect of our concerted effort to get the vaccine in neighborhoods and communities with the greatest need,” said the Mayor Kenney. “We are confident that in doing so, we can improve the equity of our vaccine distribution efforts and get Philadelphia one step closer to defeating this virus.”

Details on the new and existing City-run locations are as follows:

Locations opening the week of March 15, 2021

  • Edward O’Malley (EOM) Athletic Association, 144 Moore St.
  • Grand Yesha Ballroom, 2308 Snyder Ave.
  • Mastery Charter Simon Gratz High School, 1798 W. Hunting Park Ave.

Locations opening the week of March 22, 2021

  • Cannstatter Volksfest-Verein German American Club, 9130 Academy Rd.
  • City Facility, 7800 Ogontz Ave.

Locations currently open

  • Community Academy Charter School, 1100 E. Erie Ave.
  • Center City Vaccination Center at the Pennsylvania Convention Center, 100 N. 12th St.
  • MLK Older Adult Center, 2101 Cecil B. Moore Ave.
  • University of the Sciences, Bobby Morgan Arena, 835 S. 43rd St.

A tenth site, to be located in West Philadelphia near the Market Street corridor, will be announced shortly and is on track to be operational by the week of March 22.

“It’s encouraging to hear that the City is expanding the number of community-based vaccine distribution sites located in neighborhoods across Philadelphia,” said Council President Darrell L. Clarke (5th District). “Eight neighborhood locations, with today’s announcements, is significant, since not everyone can come downtown to the FEMA site or other sites. The more we can bring the vaccine to people in neighborhoods where they live, the more people we can get vaccinated.”

COVID-19 Hospitality Industry Recovery Program (CHIRP): The City of Philadelphia and PIDC today announced details of how the Pennsylvania COVID-19 Hospitality Industry Recovery Program (CHIRP) will operate in Philadelphia. CHIRP is a new $145 million statewide grant program created by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to alleviate revenue losses and pay eligible operating expenses for certain businesses in the hospitality industry, which has been severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Through the Commonwealth’s Department of Economic and Community Development (DCED), Philadelphia County is receiving over $17 million in funding to provide grants to eligible businesses through this program. The online application for the program will open at 11 a.m. on Monday, March 15. Applications will be accepted until 11:59 p.m. on Monday, April 5. The application will be available at PIDCphila.com/CHIRP. Additional details about the program are available in this release.

Philly Counts Vaccine Champion Training Program: Philly Counts today announced details of a new COVID-19 Vaccine Champion training program. The program follows a structure similar to the Census Champion and COVID-19 Community Response Captain programs. In partnership with the Philadelphia Department of Public Health, Philly Counts will utilize its existing network of staff and volunteers to provide COVID-19 outreach, education, organizing, and canvassing efforts to ensure Philadelphia’s most vulnerable residents are able to learn about and get the COVID-19 vaccine.

A Vaccine Champion is a trusted messenger trained to deliver accurate information about the vaccine to their peers. The COVID-19 Vaccine Champion training will be a 90-minute multilingual session that covers a variety of topics related to the COVID-19 vaccine. The first Vaccine Champion training sessions will take place on Thursday, March 18 and will be available via Zoom in English, Spanish, and Mandarin. Individuals can choose the session that works best for them based on language using the list of events available on phila.gov/phillycounts. After Thursday, March 18, additional weekly sessions will be open to the public. 

Philly311 is Increasing its COVID-19 Response: Since March 2020, the Philly311 team has fielded 31,696 calls related to COVID-19 and logged over 2 million interactions with Philadelphians. To respond to the ever-growing needs of Philadelphia residents, Philly311 is currently hiring 21 temporary 12-month positions to better assist constituents with information related to the COVID-19 vaccine and the fourth phase of the Emergency Rental Assistance program, which is not yet open for applications. Multilingual ability is a big plus. Members of the public can apply online before Wednesday, March 31, 2021 at phila.gov/jobs.

Testing Site Map: A testing site finder at phila.gov/testing helps people find a free COVID-19 test in Philadelphia. Anyone can search for a site by address, click on a map location for specific site information, and filter by day of week and by drive-thru or walk-up.

COVID-19 Vaccine Interest Forms: The City has launched two forms to help Philadelphians register their interest in receiving a COVID-19 vaccine. These forms are not for registering for an appointment, but will tell the Department of Public Health how to contact you when you are eligible and vaccine is available for you.

  • Members of the public are encouraged to register using the COVID-19 Vaccine Interest Form. The form is available in English, Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese, and French. Individuals who do not have access to the internet can contact Philly311 (dial 3-1-1) for help completing the interest form.
  • Employers are encouraged to complete the Workforce COVID-19 Vaccine Planning Form. Employers that complete this form will be contacted to help set up opportunities to vaccinate their prioritized staff when they are eligible and vaccine is available. 

COVID-19 Resources:

Resources for Media:

 

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