Additions to the group include people with intellectual disabilities, people who are taking drugs that suppress their immune system for whatever reason and members of the clergy, said health commissioner Dr. Thomas Farley. The change takes effect immediately.
Currently, people in groups 1A and 1B in the city are being vaccinated. The former includes health professionals and people in long-term care facilities, while the latter includes a much wider range of people. To see who else qualifies for group 1B, click here.
Farley also noted that the federal government’s vaccine supply is now stabilizing, following steady weekly increases. He said supplies of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines will remain stable, but will not increase in the next three weeks, although it remains unclear when the city will receive more doses from Johnson & Johnson.
“We will have to watch carefully to ensure that the supply of the vaccine that reaches the city meets our ability to distribute it in the city,” he said.
By March 17, the city had fully vaccinated about 157,000 people and at least partially vaccinated about 402,000.
Farley warned that coronavirus infections have recently started to increase in Philadelphia, with the city now averaging around 300 cases a week. In Europe, some countries have had to start reinstating the blockages because of the increase in infections.
“We all need to be careful and not let our guard down anytime soon,” said Farley.