PHILADELPHIA – The Philadelphia Department of Public Health today announced 643 additional confirmed cases of COVID-19 novel coronavirus in Philadelphia. That brings the number of confirmed cases to 117,456. In addition, the Department of Public Health also announced 74 new probable cases from rapid antigen tests. Today’s case count represents totals for three days, since new cases were last reported on Friday, March 12.

The Department of Public Health confirmed four additional fatalities in Philadelphia. This brings the number of residents who have succumbed to the virus in Philadelphia to 3,178. Of the 3,178 total deaths, 1,166 (37%) were long-term care facility residents.

The Department of Public Health reports 248 patients with COVID-19 are currently being treated in Philadelphia hospitals, with a total of 37 on ventilators.

COVID-19 Hospitality Industry Recovery Program (CHIRP): Online applications for the Pennsylvania COVID-19 Hospitality Industry Recovery Program (CHIRP) opened today at 11 a.m. Applications will be accepted until 11:59 p.m. on Monday, April 5. The online application is available at PIDCphila.com/CHIRP, where information about the program’s eligibility is also available. 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. Through the Commonwealth’s Department of Economic and Community Development (DCED), Philadelphia is receiving over $17 million in funding to provide grants to eligible businesses through this program.

Updated COVID-19 Vaccine Data Visualization Dashboard: As part of the City’s attempts to be as transparent as possible about the COVID-19 vaccine distribution effort, the Health Department has upgraded the data visualization on the COVID website to show more detailed information. The updated dashboard now includes:

  • How many people are partially and completely vaccinated, broken down by Philadelphia residency and vaccine manufacturer, as well as across two time periods (the past two weeks and cumulative, since the beginning of the vaccine effort)
  • An overview of the percent of residents vaccinated, which includes children even though they are not currently eligible to be vaccinated
  • Vaccination rates by zip code, age group, race/ethnicity, and gender
  • An overview of vaccine administrations by provider type (e.g., hospitals, clinics, pharmacies, etc.), including breakdowns by age and race/ethnicity for each provider type

Additionally, the Health Department has published this data on the City’s OpenDataPhilly platform.

COVID-19 Vaccine Champions Training Begins: Last week, Philly Counts announced details of a new COVID-19 Vaccine Champion training program. 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.

The first Vaccine Champion training sessions will take place this 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 March 18, additional weekly sessions will be open to the public. Learn more in this press release.

PHLConnectED Updates: Last week, the City marked the one-year anniversary of schools closing due to the pandemic on March 13, 2020 with updates and milestones for its PHLConnectED program. When schools transitioned to remote learning, the City took numerous steps to address the digital equity needs of students, including launching PHLConnectED—an initiative that provides free internet to K-12 student households. Find more information in the press release.

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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