COVID-19 updates now provided once weekly on Mondays
PHILADELPHIA – The Philadelphia Department of Public Health today reported an additional 6,877 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered in Philadelphia since last reported on Thursday, March 3. This brings the total number of fully vaccinated Philadelphians to at least 1,016,698, and the number of Philadelphians with at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine to at least 1,225,087. Currently, 81.9 percent of Philadelphia adults are fully vaccinated, and more than 95 percent* of Philadelphia adults have received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine.
All residents ages five and older are eligible to be vaccinated in Philadelphia. 53.6 percent of 5-to-11-year-olds in Philadelphia have received at least one vaccine dose. Among eligible Philadelphians ages 12 and older, 75.8 percent are fully vaccinated, and 91.4 percent have received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine.
The Department of Health reports 128 patients with COVID-19 are currently being treated in Philadelphia hospitals, with a total of 22 on ventilators.
In the last two weeks, 1.3 percent of all COVID-19 lab tests in Philadelphia have come back positive. Thus far during the pandemic, 275,328 Philadelphians have been diagnosed with COVID-19, and 4,874 have succumbed to the virus. Philadelphia is averaging 62 new cases of COVID-19 per day over the last two weeks.
PHLConnectED Announces Third Year and Digital Skill-building Grantees: Last week the City announced that PHLConnectED will continue to provide Philadelphia’s pre-K–12 families with free internet access for a third year and has chosen grantees to support digital skill-building for pre-K–12 caregivers. PHLConnectED—the City’s initiative to provide free and reliable internet access for pre-K–12 students through Comcast’s Internet Essentials or a T-Mobile hotspot—will now extend through July 2023. For more information about PHLConnectED, visit phila.gov/phlconnected. Families can continue to sign up for PHLConnectED by dialing 2-1-1. For language services, press 8.
Update to COVID-19 Release Schedule Reminder: Beginning this week, the City will distribute a COVID-19 Update on Mondays only. No COVID-19 releases will be issued on Thursdays moving forward.
Weekly COVID-19 Response Level: This week’s COVID-19 response level is All Clear. This means there is no vaccine requirement for places that serve food or drink. Masks are not required in indoor public places. Please note that masks are still required in schools and institutions of higher education, as well as healthcare settings and transit. Businesses and other institutions are allowed to be more strict than the City’s COVID-19 Response Levels, so some businesses may require proof of vaccination or that everyone wears a mask. The criteria and mandates for each COVID-19 response level are listed online.
*Note: All vaccine administration percentages will be capped at 95 percent to account for U.S. Census estimates.
COVID-19 Resources:
- Where to get a COVID-19 vaccine: phila.gov/vaccine.
- Where to find COVID-19 testing: phila.gov/testing.
- City’s COVID-19 homepage: phila.gov/covid-19.
- Frequently asked questions about the COVID-19 response.
- Health Department COVID Call Center: 215-685-5488.
- Residents can text COVIDPHL to 888-777 to get updates sent to their phones.
- The COVID Prevention and Response Fund is accepting donations to aid nonprofits and individuals that are supporting their community through the pandemic.
Resources for Media:
- COVID-19 briefings.
- Recordings of COVID-19 briefings (Subtitles available in multiple languages).
- COVID-19 press releases.