Philadelphia’s Black Doctors COVID-19 Consortium is getting much more involved in the city’s vaccine distribution efforts.
Consortium founder Dr. Ala Stanford shared on Instagram that the group — which has provided COVID-19 testing to more than 20,000 people — will be administering the vaccine to Philly’s Black communities.
Dr. Ala Stanford, founder of the Consortium, took to Instagram to inform the public that the group, which has previously provided Covid tests to over 20,000, will now be administering the vaccine to Philly’s Black communities.
The vaccines will be available on a first-come, first-served basis. Those interested in receiving the vaccine can sign up through a contact form or send an email to [email protected].
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The Consortium will begin offering vaccines when Philidelphia starts phase 1b of its vaccine roll-out plan. This phase includes critical essential workers and is expected to start in early 2021.
The organization’s vaccines will be available for city residents only.
The Philidelphia Department of Public Health announced Tuesday who will be eligible for the vaccine during Phase 1B, including first responders, service providers working with high-risk populations, public transit workers, food handlers, child care and education providers, high-volume essential retail workers, and those who manufacture critical goods.
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However, signing up via the consortium’s form does not guarantee you will receive the vaccine during Phase 1B.
According to The Philadelphia Inquirer, more than 40% of the people who have received COVID immunizations so far have been white, while just 12% were Black. Forty-four percent of the city’s population identifies as Black, according to the most recent U.S. Census Bureau data.
“I understand the hesitancy. I understand the atrocities that Black people have endured previously and current day,” Stanford said in an Instagram video. “Please, do not allow things of the past and the present prevent you from protecting yourself and those whom you love. There is not enough vaccine to go around, and when it’s gone, it’s gone, until it’s made again.”
