February 19, 2021
Thom Carroll/for PhillyVoice
The Black Doctors COVID-19 Consortium is holding a 24-hour 'vax-a-thon' at the Liacouras Center on Temple University's campus. Eligible residents can received COVID-19 vaccines on a first-come, first-served basis.
Eligible Philadelphia residents can get vaccinated without an appointment at a 24-hour walk-up clinic now open on Temple University's campus.
The so-called "vax-a-thon" kicked off at noon Friday and will continue until noon Saturday at the Liacouras Center. COVID-19 vaccines are being administered on a first-come, first-serve basis.
The clinic is open to any resident eligible under Phase 1B of the city's vaccination plan. They also must live in one of the 20 zip codes with the highest COVID-19 incidence and deaths. All Philly seniors age 75 and older are eligible regardless of zip code.
Phase 1B includes first responders, teachers and other child care providers, food distribution and preparation employees, transit workers, congregate care workers and residents, and people with high-risk medical conditions.
People must bring documentation showing that they meet Phase 1B criteria and live in one of the following zip codes: 19104, 19119, 19121, 19123, 19124, 19126, 19131, 19132, 19138, 19139, 19140, 19141, 19142, 19143, 19144, 19145, 19146, 19150, 19151 and 19153.
The clinic is being run by the Black Doctors COVID-19 Consortium.
It marks the first walk-up clinic offered in Philadelphia. Organizers say people should expect long lines and dress accordingly. The temperature is expected to drop near 25 degrees overnight.
"If you’re not a cold-weather person, I don't suggest you come out," Dr. Ala Stanford, the founder of the Black Doctors COVID-19 Consortium, told the Inquirer.
The Black Doctors COVID-19 Consortium formed near the onset of the coronavirus pandemic to bring aid to people of color in Philadelphia. The group has partnered with the city to provide COVID-19 tests and vaccines.
The organization aims to vaccinate 2,000 people during the 24-hour clinic, Stanford said. The group has the capability to vaccinate 600 to 800 people every six hours.
People who attend the clinic will be sorted into one of four lines, according to WHYY. One is for people 75 and older. A second line is for people who are receiving their first doses but previously registered for one. People who have registered should bring confirmation, either on their phones or on paper.
The third line is for people who have not registered. The fourth line is for non-English speakers. Spanish and Mandarin translators will be on-site.
The clinic aims to increase accessibility to vaccines among people who work long hours or have difficulties making an online appointment.
"I hope that the elderly come and what I really hope is that after the younger folks get off work, that they bring them," Stanford told WHYY. "That's what I'm hoping, and with us being open for 24 hours, that there's really no time that doesn't work for you."
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