PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Vaccination appointments in Philadelphia will be open to anyone 16 and older starting April 19, but city health officials are still asking younger healthy adults to wait to schedule appointments.
The city’s health commissioner, Dr. Thomas Farley, announced the moved-up date for opening vaccines to the general public Tuesday. Department officials had said in previous updates that they wanted to wait until May 1 because they were worried that younger, tech-savvy Philadelphians would schedule appointments quickly, making it more difficult for those at most risk of serious illness or death from COVID-19 to find appointments.
Farley said President Joe Biden had asked Philadelphia and other cities around the country to move up their plans to open vaccines to anyone who wanted them to April 19. Philadelphia opened vaccine appointments to the last of its priority groups Monday, which includes sanitation workers, postal workers and others.
Farley said he has asked the vaccine providers to keep making older people a priority as well as those with health concerns. On Tuesday, he asked younger, healthier residents to not make a rush on the system when it opens appointments.
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