Philly will move to next vaccine phase Monday, expanding eligibility as cases rise

Philadelphia on Thursday announced it would expand vaccine eligibility next week to include four more categories of essential workers.

The groups are: sanitation workers, maintenance and janitorial staff, utility workers, and postal and package delivery workers. They are part of the city’s classification known as 1C, which also lists other categories of people not included in Philadelphia’s expansion that starts Monday. The city, which oversees its own vaccinations separate from the rest of the state, will widen eligibility to the others in 1C later this month, officials said.

Groups in Philadelphia’s 1C not immediately eligible for vaccination include higher education, public-facing finance roles, transportation workers, construction workers, telecommunications and IT, media, the legal industry, and public health workers.

City Health Commissioner Thomas Farley said this week that Philadelphia would open eligibility to all adults no later than May 1, following federal guidance.

The news came the day after Pennsylvania officials said they would allow everyone 16 and older to get the coronavirus vaccine starting April 19, with many able to schedule appointments sooner. For people outside of Philadelphia, the entire 1B group, which includes first responders and education workers, will be eligible on Monday, and 1C will be eligible a week later, on April 12.

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The city is still working to vaccinate all residents 65 and older, along with other groups of people already eligible. Farley said it is especially important to vaccinate people 65 and up as quickly as possible because coronavirus case rates are rising.

Pennsylvania reported 3,893 new COVID-19 cases Thursday, and the state is now averaging 4,073 new cases a day over the last seven days — a 54% jump over the last two weeks.

The rise is being driven in part by the B.1.1.7 variant of the virus, which was first detected in the United Kingdom and spreads more easily than the coronavirus that emerged in China 15 months ago. COVID-19 hospitalizations are also rising in Pennsylvania, with patients getting younger as more older people receive vaccinations. On Thursday, 2,075 residents were hospitalized with COVID-19, up from 1,450 hospitalizations two weeks ago. Pennsylvania also reported 27 new deaths, driving the death toll to at least 25,120 people across the commonwealth.

» READ MORE: Worrisome COVID-19 variants are taking hold in Pa. and N.J., threatening the success of vaccines

Philadelphia announced 482 new confirmed cases of the coronavirus Thursday. The city also announced 12 additional deaths. A total of 3,282 Philadelphia residents have died of COVID-19. The rate of new cases and hospitalizations has been increasing in the city in recent weeks. As of Thursday, there were 447 patients with the coronavirus in Philadelphia hospitals, with 56 of them on ventilators.

New Jersey also is experiencing a rise in COVID-19 cases, and the state on Thursday announced 30 new confirmed deaths.

Staff writer Rob Tornoe contributed to this article.