Philadelphia is quickly approaching the one year anniversary of its first documented coronavirus infection. On March 10, 2020, Mayor Jim Kenney confirmed the city’s first case of COVID-19.
Since then, this city, the country and the world, have undergone a traumatic metamorphosis from normalcy to a pandemic reality. It has been a long, grueling, grim 12 months and we’re not done yet—coronavirus is still a very real and dangerous threat.
As of Saturday afternoon, Philadelphia has lost 3,106 people to this deadly disease.
And the numbers continue to rise. At this point, I think everyone has known someone who has tested positive for Covid-19 and tragically, many of us have lost a loved one to the disease.
And while more than 284,500 doses of the coronavirus vaccine have been administered in Philadelphia as of Saturday, there is still a lot of work to be done. The vaccine rollout campaign in this city has been murky at best. But I do think that it is improving—the future certainly seems more hopeful than in months past.
Three city-run mass clinics opened last week and within the next few days, the Federal Emergency Management Agency is planning to open a mega-site at the Pennsylvania Convention Center with a goal of distributing up to 6,000 doses per day.
But Philadelphia still has a long way to go and the road ahead will not be easy. As the city progresses with its inoculation efforts, Metro would like to hear from those who have received their vaccine. How was your experience? What did you like, dislike about the process? Do you feel confident in the city’s inoculation efforts?
It’s been almost one full year since COVID-19 appeared in the City of Philadelphia. And while we’re not in the clear just yet, I do feel confident that we are much closer to the end of this pandemic than the beginning. And after everything we’ve been through over the past 12 months, it’s nice to have hope.
If you would like to share your vaccination experience, email editor Melissa Mitman at Melissa.Mitman@metro.us
A complete list of citywide vaccination sites can be found here.
Philadelphia residents who want to receive a vaccine can fill out an interest form online.
