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More than 4,000 Philadelphians received doses of the COVID-19 vaccine this weekend at the 24-hour walk-in vaccination site that was housed at the Liacouras center.
The marathon vaccination clinic, which was run by the Black Doctors COVID-19 consortium, has drawn thousands of Philly residents, many of whom were forced to queue for hours in freezing temperatures outside to be vaccinated against the coronavirus. Organizers previously advised attendees to dress warmly in anticipation of long lines in cold weather.
People started showing up as early as 9 a.m. Friday for the walk-in vaccination site, which ran from noon Friday to noon Saturday, according to WHYY. The line wound up for blocks around the arena.
“I was expecting a lot,” said Dr Ala Stanford, founder of the Black Doctors COVID-19 Consortium. “I don’t know if I expected this.”
The Liacouras Center for the Black Doctors Consortium COVID-19 24-hour vaccination site queue goes around the building several times. There are over a thousand people waiting in the snow and freezing cold. The people who arrived at 9 a.m. have not yet entered. pic.twitter.com/c7QXq4UKKh
– Ellie Rushing (@EllieRushing) February 19, 2021
HAPPENING NOW: Hundreds of people stand outside the Liacouras center waiting to be vaccinated by the consortium of black doctors COVID-19. The consortium hosts a 24-hour clinic. It started vaccinating people at noon and will end at noon on Saturday. pic.twitter.com/kmo7asvOs0
– Kimberly Davis CBS3 (@KimberlyDavisTV) February 19, 2021
Queues continued until 10 a.m. this morning at Temple University’s Liacouras Center as people braved the cold to get vaccinated against COVID-19. The event set up 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
Still several hundred queues in line on North Broad but the queue is significantly shorter than this afternoon. BDCC says it has given 2K hits since noon pic.twitter.com/yIHjZAKEnI
– Anna Bear (@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 met and exceeded on Friday evening. The clinic had to contact city officials to get thousands of additional COVID-19 vaccine doses delivered early Saturday morning.
The “vax-a-thon” was the first walk-in COVID-19 vaccination clinic offered in Philly. Vaccines were offered on a first come, first served basis and no appointment was required.
The clinic was open to any resident eligible for phase 1B of the city’s vaccination plan. They also had to live in one of the 20 postcodes with the highest COVID-19 infection and death rates. All Philly seniors aged 75 and over were eligible regardless of zip code.
Participants were required to bring documentation indicating 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 child care providers, food distribution and preparation workers, transit workers, group care workers and residents, and people with high-risk health problems.
People who attended the clinic were classified in one of four lines. One was for people aged 75 and over. A second line was intended for people who were receiving their first doses but who had previously been registered for one. Those who registered were invited to provide confirmation for the event.
A third line was for people who had not registered. The fourth line was for non-English speakers. Spanish and Mandarin translators were located on site.
The clinic aimed to increase accessibility to COVID-19 vaccines for people who work long hours or have had difficulty making an appointment online.
Each resident who received their first dose of COVID-19 vaccine at the 24-hour immunization clinic is scheduled to receive their booster shot in March at the Deliverance Evangelical Baptist Church in North Philly.
The Black Doctors COVID-19 consortium plans to work with city officials and Temple University, home of the Liacouras center, to decide whether another walk-in marathon vaccination clinic will take place in the future, according to 6ABC .
The Black Doctors COVID-19 consortium formed at the start of the coronavirus pandemic to provide aid to people of color in Philadelphia. The group has partnered with the city to provide COVID-19 tests and vaccines.
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