More than 4,000 Philadelphia residents received doses of the COVID-19 vaccine this weekend at the 24-hour vaccination post held at the Liacouras Center.
The vaccine clinical marathon, operated by the Black Doctors COVID-19 Consortium, drew thousands of Philadelphia residents, many of whom were forced to wait in line for hours in the cold temperatures outside to be inoculated against the coronavirus. The organizers had already advised the participants to wrap up in preparation for long lines in the cold climate.
People started showing up at 9 am on Friday morning to the vaccination site, which operated from noon on Friday to noon on Saturday, according to WHYY. The line wrapped in blocks around the arena.
“I expected a lot,” said Dr. Ala Stanford, founder of the Black Doctors COVID-19 Consortium. “I don’t know what I expected for this.”
The Liacouras Center line for the Black Doctors COVID-19 Consortium 24 hours, place of vaccination without notice, involves the building several times. There are over a thousand people waiting in the snow and freezing cold. The people who arrived at 9 am have not yet entered. pic.twitter.com/c7QXq4UKKh
– Ellie Rushing (@EllieRushing) February 19, 2021
HAPPENING NOW: Hundreds of people wait outside the Liacouras Center to be vaccinated by the consortium of black doctors COVID-19. The consortium is hosting a 24-hour clinic. He started vaccinating people at noon and will end on Saturday at noon. pic.twitter.com/kmo7asvOs0
– Kimberly Davis CBS3 (@KimberlyDavisTV) February 19, 2021
The queues continued until 10 am this morning at the Liacouras Center at Temple University, while people faced the cold to get the COVID-19 vaccine. The event organized by the Black Doctors Covid-19 Consortium distributed more than 3,000 doses in 24 hours. pic.twitter.com/L8LYTTxw75
– Marcus Espinoza (@ MarcusFOX29) February 20, 2021
There are still several hundred people waiting in line at North Broad, but the line is significantly shorter than this afternoon. BDCC says it has applied 2,000 doses since noon pic.twitter.com/yIHjZAKEnI
– Anna Orso (@anna_orso) February 20, 2021
The organization issued about 200 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine per hour, according to KYW. It had the capacity to vaccinate 600 to 800 people every six hours.
The goal of the event was to administer at least 2,000 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, but that number was reached and exceeded on Friday night. The clinic had to contact city officials to obtain thousands more doses of the COVID-19 vaccine in the early hours of Saturday morning.
“Vax-a-thon” was the first COVID-19 vaccine clinic offered in Philadelphia. Vaccines were offered on a first-come, first-served basis and appointments were not required.
The clinic was open to any eligible residents in Phase 1B of the city’s vaccination plan. They should also be living in one of the 20 postal codes with the highest rates of infection and deaths from COVID-19. All Philadelphia elderly people aged 75 and over were eligible, regardless of postcode.
Participants had to bring documentation showing that they met the criteria for Phase 1B and lived in one of the following postal codes: 19104, 19119, 19121, 19123, 19124, 19126, 19131, 19132, 19138, 19139, 19140, 19141, 19142, 19143, 19144, 19145, 19146, 19150, 19151 and 19153.
Phase 1B of the city’s COVID-19 vaccination plan includes first responders, teachers and other childcare providers, food preparation and distribution workers, transit workers, assistance workers and residents and people with high-risk medical conditions.
The people who attended the clinic were classified into one of the four rows. One was for people aged 75 and over. A second line was for people who were receiving their first doses, but had already registered for one. Enrolled people were asked to bring confirmation of the event.
A third line was for people who had not registered. The fourth line was for those who did not speak English. Spanish and Mandarin translators were located on site.
The clinic’s goal was to increase accessibility to COVID-19 vaccines among people who work long hours or have difficulty making an appointment online.
Each resident who received their first dose of COVID-19 vaccine at the 24-hour vaccination clinic was scheduled to receive their booster injection in March at the Deliverance Evangelistic Baptist Church in North Philly.
The Black Doctors COVID-19 Consortium is planning to work with city officials and Temple University, the home of the Liacouras Center, to decide whether another walking vaccination marathon will be held in the future, according to the 6ABC.
The Black Doctors COVID-19 Consortium was formed near the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic to bring aid to people of color in Philadelphia. The group entered into a partnership with the city government to make the COVID-19 tests and vaccines available.