Philly, Pa. will follow Biden’s May 1 guidance | Coronavirus Newsletter
Plus, here’s why effective treatments for COVID-19 are hard to develop
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TL;DR: Philadelphia and Pennsylvania officials will follow President Joe Biden’s guidance and make all adult residents eligible for vaccination by May 1, local officials said Friday. Experts point to a fundamental reason for the lack of effective COVID-19 treatments: Viruses, unlike bacteria, are hard to stop without doing serious collateral damage to the human host.
— Kelly O’Shea (@kelloshea, health@inquirer.com)
What you need to know:
👩⚕️ Only about 50% of New Jersey’s long-term care facility staff have been fully vaccinated as officials there work to address vaccine hesitancy. Pennsylvania’s Department of Health declined to release its numbers.
🚌 At Philly’s FEMA-run mass vaccination site in the Convention Center, a daily passphrase — such as “wheels on the bus” — grants people access to a small number of surplus doses each day.
👵🏽 Two months into the vaccine rollout, many of Pennsylvania’s 2.2 million seniors said they have not been able to get an appointment for a shot and are now “at their wit’s ends.”
💡 Pennsylvania will allow utilities to resume normal service shutoffs for nonpaying customers after March 31, ending a pandemic moratorium that utilities said had contributed to a massive growth of unpaid bills.
💉 Delaware County expects a boost of “hundreds if not thousands of additional vaccines” from a federal program in the coming weeks, U.S. Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon announced Thursday.
👨🏫 At least 6,500 teachers and school staff have been vaccinated in Pennsylvania through Thursday. Teachers hope the vaccines “will have a ripple effect” in helping bring students back safely.
📰 What’s going on near you? We organize recent coverage of the pandemic by local counties and Philly neighborhoods to make it easier for you to find info you care about. Now, you can also get those local headlines sent directly to your inbox by signing up here.
Local coronavirus cases
📈The coronavirus has swept across the Philadelphia region and cases continue to mount. The Inquirer and Spotlight PA are compiling geographic data on tests conducted, cases confirmed, and deaths caused by the virus. Track the spread here.
Philadelphia will follow President Joe Biden’s guidance and make all adult residents eligible for vaccination by May 1, Health Commissioner Thomas Farley said Friday. Farley said he was pleased that Biden’s announcement included increasing the number of federal staff available to administer vaccines, and expanding the list of people authorized to give shots. Gov. Tom Wolf followed suit, expressing confidence that all Pennsylvanians in the 1A category will be able to schedule a vaccine appointment by March 28. It was not clear, however, how the state will ensure appointments. New Jersey officials said they were prepared for Biden’s announcement. Gov. Phil Murphy had already indicated a goal of opening up appointments to the public by May.
The United States has fully approved only a single drug to treat COVID-19, the antiviral remdesivir, and it is far from a miracle cure. Experts point to a fundamental reason for the lack of specific, effective treatments: Viruses, unlike bacteria, are hard to stop without doing serious collateral damage to the human host. Another obstacle is that antivirals generally must be used early in the course of the disease, before the infection takes off and the virus becomes uncontrollable. Still, there is cautious optimism that molnupiravir, an experimental compound originally studied as an influenza treatment, might fight the novel coronavirus — and maybe other viruses as well.
Helpful resources
Where can I get a COVID-19 vaccine in the Philly area? Use our lookup tool.
Who gets $1,400? And other stimulus questions, answered.
What to know about face masks, including whether to double up and when it might be time to replace yours.
Symptoms of COVID-19, flu, common cold, and allergies can overlap. How to tell the difference.
You got this: Feeling hope
As vaccinations ramp up, children return to classrooms, and the weather warms, Philadelphians of every stripe say this week brought a feeling of optimism that they haven’t felt since last March. And for thousands of business owners, hope is coming from financial relief promised by the stimulus package. “It really does feel like a ray of sunshine at the end of this extremely long, dark tunnel,” said Nicole Marquis, founder and CEO of HipCityVeg. Read more about how Philadelphians are finally starting to remember what hope feels like.
🍿 From music to movies, here are the best things to do in Philly this weekend.
🎸 Brothers of a beloved Jersey Shore cover band were hit hard by COVID-19. But their fans showed up in incredible ways.
👕 Forget Gucci’s $390 Philly T-shirt. Here’s where to buy gear from Philly designers who rep this city better.
Have a social distancing tip or question to share? Let us know at health@inquirer.com and your input might be featured in a future edition of this newsletter.
What we’re paying attention to
If the national vaccination campaign does not prioritize racial equity, experts worry “we will not be able to stop this pandemic,” The 19th reports.
The Atlantic spoke with a dozen vaccinated people who were all “shot self-consciousness” — the worry about how their shots will be perceived by others.
It’s not just Philly. Read The New Yorker’s in-depth look at Los Angeles’ disorganized vaccination rollout.
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