On August 13, the Health Department announced that all healthcare workers and people at colleges and universities in Philadelphia needed to be fully vaccinated against COVID by October 15, 2021. The City has been working with healthcare providers and higher education institutions since then to get all of their staff, faculty, volunteers, and students vaccinated.

As we all know, because of the world-class healthcare and higher education institutions that we have here in Philadelphia, this has been going very well, but there are a lot of people that need to get vaccinated so it’s taking a while.

To ensure that our healthcare system and colleges aren’t shorthanded because someone missed a deadline by a few days, the Health Department is now allowing an accommodation for institutions that would like it, in order to keep operating at full capacity while getting everyone who needs it vaccinated.

For healthcare staff in hospitals and long-term care facilities, and everyone in higher education, they will need to receive at least one dose of a COVID vaccine by October 15th rather than being required to be fully vaccinated by that date and will need to submit to regular testing until they are fully vaccinated. Healthcare workers will need two tests per week of either antigen (rapid) or PCR testing, while higher education folks will need either weekly PCR tests or twice weekly antigen tests.

Both groups would then have to get their second dose (if they get Pfizer or Moderna) by November 15th.

Hospital, long-term care facility, and university staff, students, and faculty who don’t have approved exemptions and who don’t have that first dose by October 15th, or if required, their second dose by November 15th would be out of compliance and could not work or study in these settings.

All other healthcare workers, except for those in hospitals or long-term care facilities, will have one additional week beyond that accommodation, until October 22nd, to receive at least one dose of a COVID vaccine and will need to be tested twice per week using either antigen or PCR testing until fully vaccinated.

They would have to get their second dose, if needed, by November 22nd.

Deadlines

Friday, October 15, 2021: All healthcare staff in hospitals and long-term care facilities, and everyone in higher education, needs at least one dose of a COVID vaccine and regular testing based on their setting.

Friday, October 22, 2021: All other healthcare workers, except for those in hospitals or long-term care facilities, needs at least one dose of a COVID vaccine and to be tested twice per week using either antigen or PCR testing.

Monday, November 15, 2021: All healthcare staff in hospitals and long-term care facilities, and everyone in higher education, needs to have completed their vaccine series.

Monday, November 22, 2021: All other healthcare workers, except for those in hospitals or long-term care facilities, needs to have completed their vaccine series.