City achieves 70% target of adults vaccinated, update on Philly Vax Sweepstakes, and Dr. Bettigole provides update on COVID Delta Variant
PHILADELPHIA – The Philadelphia Department of Public Health today reported an additional 14,711 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered in Philadelphia since last reported on Thursday, June 17. This brings the total number of fully vaccinated Philadelphians to at least 693,885, and the number of Philadelphians with at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine to at least 874,278. Currently, 55.9 percent of Philadelphia adults are fully vaccinated, and 70.4 percent of Philadelphia adults have received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine.
“In early May, President Biden set an ambitious goal for 70 percent of adults to get at least one COVID shot by July Fourth, and I’m very proud that Philadelphia has achieved this target with several weeks to spare,” said Mayor Jim Kenney. “We will not be satisfied until all eligible Philadelphians get this life saving vaccine, but I wish to take a moment to thank the Philadelphia Department of Public Health, other city agencies, and the many partners who have helped us to get to this point. This milestone is also due in large part to the Philadelphians who care about taking care of themselves, their families, and their communities.”
The Department of Public Health reports 81 patients with COVID-19 are currently being treated in Philadelphia hospitals, with a total of 14 on ventilators.
In the last two weeks, one percent of COVID-19 tests in Philadelphia have come back positive. Thus far during the pandemic, 144,784 Philadelphians have been diagnosed with COVID-19, and 3,722 have succumbed to the virus. Philadelphia is averaging 30 new cases of COVID-19 per day over the last two weeks.
Get Vaccinated at the Unity Cup Draw: On Tuesday, June 22, members of the public can get their COVID-19 vaccine at the 2021 Unity Cup Draw event from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the Lloyd Hall Recreation Center. Everyone 12 and older is eligible, and people do not need an appointment, and the vaccine is free.
Philly Counts, Philadelphia Parks & Recreation, the Office of Immigrant Affairs, and the Philadelphia Department of Public Health are committing to sustained vaccine outreach at Unity Cup events through a community immunity awareness-building campaign over the summer months, leading up to pop-up clinics at all of the games, to provide our immigrant community not only the information and tools they need to make an informed decision about vaccination, but also, make the vaccine even more accessible to them.
The Unity Cup is a World Cup-style tournament that will be held over several months, with the opening match scheduled to kick off Friday, August 27. The Unity Cup unites the city’s neighborhoods and celebrates its diverse immigrant communities through soccer.
Philly Vax Sweepstakes Winners Picked: The first drawing of the Philly Vax Sweepstakes was done today. Twelve potential winners – six from the selected zip code: 19126 – were chosen today and the team from the University of Pennsylvania is reaching out to them via phone, email, and postal mail to check and confirm their vaccine status. As a reminder, if a winner wasn’t vaccinated by the time of the drawing, they are not eligible and will not receive the prize money. In that case, another name will be drawn and they will be contacted. The City expects to announce the winners at an event later this week.
Philly Vax Sweepstakes Second Drawing Selected Zip Code Chosen: With the end of the first drawing of the Philly Vax Sweepstakes, the team has randomly selected another of the least vaccinated zip codes in Philadelphia to be the selected zip code for the second drawing. The selected zip code for the second Philly Vax Sweepstakes drawing is 19133. On Tuesday, July 6, twelve more vaccinated Philadelphians will be chosen, six from 19133 and six from the rest of the city. The prize breakdown for the second drawing is the same as it was for the first drawing: two $50,000 winners, four $5,000 winners, and six $1,000 winners, split between the selected zip code and the rest of the city. Residents throughout Philadelphia are encouraged to get vaccinated if they haven’t already so they will be eligible to win. Residents of 19133 are especially encouraged to get vaccinated because their chances of being selected to win are much higher.
Acting Health Commissioner Pens Open Letter to Philadelphia Warning of COVID-19 Delta Variant and Recommending Second Dose Vaccinations: In response to rapidly rising case counts of the new Delta variant in the United Kingdom, Acting Health Commissioner, Dr. Cheryl Bettigole, released an open letter to Philadelphians about the variant. No cases of the Delta variant have been found in Philadelphia. The Delta variant has been found to be more transmissible and more likely to hospitalize younger people. The best way to protect oneself against the Delta variant is by being fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
The full letter can be found on the City’s COVID site here.
COVID-19 Resources:
- City’s COVID-19 homepage: phila.gov/covid-19.
- Frequently asked questions about the COVID-19 response.
- Greater Philadelphia Coronavirus Helpline: 1 (800) 722-7112.
- Residents can text COVIDPHL to 888-777 to get updates sent to their phones.
- Residents can now set their own appointments to be vaccinated at City-run clinics.
- There are multiple public transit options to get to City-run clinics.
- COVID-19 testing is available for free at sites throughout Philadelphia.
- The COVID Prevention and Response Fund is accepting donations to aid nonprofits and individuals that are supporting their community through the pandemic.
Resources for Media:
- Recordings of COVID-19 briefings (Subtitles available in multiple languages).
- COVID-19 press releases.