Some Philly residents in phase 1C will be eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine starting Monday

Philadelphia will expand the eligibility requirements to receive the COVD-19 vaccine to include some people in phase 1C starting Monday.

The city is prioritizing four groups before all of phase 1C get the green light to get their shots. Those group are:

• Sanitation workers
• Maintenance and janitorial staff
• Utility workers
• Postal and package delivery workers

The Philadelphia Department of Health Department asked vaccine providers, including pharmacies, to let the prioritized group set appointments.

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Later in April, other people in phase 1C will become eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine. That includes people who work in higher education, transportation, finance, construction, public health, legal and the information technology, telecommunications and industries.

After phase 1C, phase 2 begins and the vaccines will be available to anyone 16 and older.

A complete list in each phase of the city's vaccination plan is available the health department's website.

People in phases 1A and 1B who have not received the vaccine are are encouraged to do so as soon as possible, particularly anyone older than 65.

This comes after the rest of Pennsylvania said it would make all adults eligible for the vaccine starting April 19. The state is on a different vaccine schedule than Philadelphia because because each gets a separate allotment of vaccines from the federal government.

COVID-19 cases have been on the rise in Philadelphia. Through April 1, there have been 130,974 confirmed positive COVID-19 cases and 3,282 deaths, the health department says. There are nearly 450 COVID-19 patients being treated in Philadelphia hospitals, 56 of whom are on ventilators.

Health Commissioner Dr. Thomas Farley said this week that the increasing COVID-19 variants and residents relaxing their social distancing behaviors could be to blame for the surge.

"We're going to watch this number very closely to see if it rises, or if the vaccination that we're doing can keep the deaths down even as the cases rise, which is what we hope would happen," Farley said.

So far, more than 500,000 city residents have been at least partially vaccinated, and 278,800 people are fully vaccinated.