Released: March 5, 2021
Delaware County Government will be adding a fifth County- operated vaccination site. The County, in partnership with Crozer Health, will begin COVID-19 vaccinations at Springfield Hospital on Thursday, March 11. The clinic will be operational Mondays through Fridays from 10:00a.m to 4:00pm by appointment only.
The County, in partnership with Keystone First, and in collaboration with the City of Chester opened the Keystone First Wellness Center in Chester on Feb. 25. And the County, in partnership with Penn Medicine began administering the Pfizer vaccine on Feb. 26 at Penn Medicine in Radnor. The Delaware County Wellness Center in Yeadon and the Aston Community Center opened in January.
People interested in receiving a vaccine through Delaware County Government can fill out the pre-registration form online: https://delcopa.gov/vax
The County received 2,900 Moderna vaccines and 1,170 Pfizer vaccines for this week.
We are expecting to receive 1,700 Moderna vaccines, 2,300 Pfizer vaccines for Radnor, and 1,170 Pfizer vaccines for Springfield for next week.
As of March 5, Delaware County Government has requested a total of 31,710 vaccines and received a total of 15,510 vaccines.
It’s important to understand that Delaware County Government is one of over two dozen vaccine providers in the county. Vaccine doses are sent to vaccine providers by the State. Residents are reminded that the process to register for the COVID-19 vaccine varies by provider and there is not a centralized vaccine registration from the State. We understand that this can be confusing, time-consuming, and frustrating for residents.
A list of all COVID-19 vaccine providers in the county can be found here: https://www.delcopa.gov/covid/pdf/DelcoCOVID19VaccinationSites.pdf
We also understand that residents are frustrated by the delay in getting their vaccine. Currently, there are an estimated 246,680 people in Delaware County who are in Phase 1A and eligible to receive the vaccine. As of March 5, 41,234 people have been vaccinated in Delaware County.
The vaccines provided by the State are designated specifically for first and second doses by week. The State continues to have a limited supply of vaccines and anticipates the situation to continue for the next several weeks.
Our goal is to provide the second dose of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine within the 28-42 day window and the second dose of the Pfizer on day 21 as recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC.) CDC guidance states that the second dose should be administered as close to the recommended interval as possible, but the shot will still be effective if there is a short delay in getting the second dose. We are making every effort to have the second dose administered within the time frame recommended. There is no need to restart the vaccination series if the second dose is delayed as antibody protection will still be achieved with just one dose.
Governor Wolf recently announced a plan to vaccinate educators throughout Pennsylvania using the State’s initial allocation of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. This will be undertaken at the state level, through the 28 Intermediate Units across Pennsylvania, and with support from Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency, also referred to as PEMA. In Delaware County, the Delaware County Intermediate Unit will take the lead in vaccinating educators with the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
Delaware County Government, working with the Chester County Health Department will maintain its focus on vaccinating individuals in Phase 1A who live and work in Delaware County, using the Pfizer and Moderna vaccine. We continue our requests for maximum doses of vaccines from the Pennsylvania Department of Health and are ready to open appointments and administer the vaccine for those in Phase 1A as quickly as we receive those doses.
The County has secured locations, storage, and staffing in order to be ready to quickly open additional vaccination sites when we receive an increased supply. The County has worked to form strong partnerships with partners including Aston Township, the City of Chester, Crozer Health, Keystone First, and Penn Medicine and to our extremely dedicated and hard-working Medical Reserve Corps. We have the ability to vaccinate 22,000 people based on locations secured and staff who are trained.
Residents can call or email the Delaware County COVID-19 Call Center if they have COVID-19 related questions including information on vaccines and testing. The COVID-19 Call Center is open Monday through Friday, between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. In addition to responding to phone calls, the Center will also respond to emails.
The phone number is: (484) 276-2100
The email is: Covid19Resources@co.delaware.pa.us
The Delaware County Library System reminds residents that they can use a hot spot at one of the member libraries to gain access to the internet to search for available vaccine or testing appointments or research information relating to COVID-19. Hotspots are available for residents with a library card at no charge from any of the Delaware County libraries. They may be borrowed for three weeks and can be used to connect a computer, phone, or other mobile devices to the internet.
A hold can be placed by calling Delaware County Libraries at 610-891-8622 or by clicking “Request It” from the catalog. Residents who need a library card may apply online or visit their local library. The hotspots were purchased with CARES funding allocated by Delaware County Council.
While Delaware County continues to serve the community at the public vaccine locations, plans are moving forward to begin the work of getting vaccines to county residents who are unable to leave their homes. If you are a Delaware County resident who is homebound or know of a county resident who will need to receive their vaccine in their home, please contact the Delaware County COVID-19 Call Center at 484- 276-2100, or by email at Covid19resources@co.delaware.pa.us to be added to the list of residents who will be served by this program. Information needed includes the name of the person to be served, a phone number, zip code, and an email if applicable. Work to identify these individuals have already begun with our community partners and county agencies, and more information will be available soon.
A reminder- vaccination efforts for Delaware County are being coordinated through the Chester County Health Department. On March 19, 2020, Delaware County Council and Chester County Commissioners announced the approval by the Pennsylvania Department of Health, for Chester County to take the lead on Delaware County’s COVID-19 public health response. The Intergovernmental Cooperation Agreement between Chester and Delaware Counties identifies the responsibilities of the Chester County Health Department during the COVID-19 outbreak, which will continue until federal and state partners determine there is no longer a pandemic outbreak. Those responsibilities include coordination of increased testing, case investigation and surveillance, quarantine designations, and public health communication.