Released: March 26, 2021
Delaware County Government is now seeing an increase in vaccines being sent to Delaware County from the Pennsylvania Department of Health. This week, the County received 7,000 Moderna vaccines and 2,340 Pfizer vaccines. The County expects to receive the same amount of vaccines for the next few weeks, allowing the County to more quickly work through vaccinating residents in Phase 1A.
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 25, 134,002 people have been vaccinated in Delaware County, equating to over half of the population in Phase 1A.
Delaware County continues to work through the list of people in Phase 1A who have preregistered with the County. The County is focused on vaccinating those age 65 and older.
Delaware County Government has five County-operated vaccination sites that are currently operational. The County, in partnership with Crozer Health, began COVID-19 vaccinations at Springfield Hospital on March 15. The County, in partnership with Penn Medicine, began administering the Pfizer vaccine on Feb. 26 at Penn Medicine in Radnor. 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. The Delaware County Wellness Center in Yeadon and the Aston Community Center opened in January.
All five sites are by appointment only. People interested in receiving a vaccine through Delaware County Government can fill out the pre-registration form online: https://delcopa.gov/vax
Last week, the Pennsylvania Department of Health asked Bucks, Chester, Delaware, and Montgomery counties to identify two sites for consideration by the State for two regional vaccine sites. The two sites would split 42,000 vaccines weekly and would serve as the primary vaccination site for the counties. Delaware County and Chester County have identified locations for the joint Delaware County/Chester County vaccination site and have been in communication with the Pennsylvania Department of Health. An update on plans for this regional site, which will be run by the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (PEMA) will be announced once the plan is finalized by the State. The County will not be involved in scheduling or administering vaccines at that site.
Delaware County Council and the Delaware County COVID-19 Task Force have partnered with community organizations across Delaware County to launch the Homebound COVID-19 Vaccination Program. This new program, part of the Delaware County Pandemic Plan, will help ensure that any homebound individual who cannot safely leave their residence is able to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.
The COVID-19 Task Force expects the program will vaccinate up to 500 homebound residents per week, based on the anticipated supply of vaccine provided by the State. A direct caregiver can also qualify to receive a vaccination. Language assistance is available.
The critical work of identifying homebound individuals by county agencies—including the Department of Human Services, the County Office of Services for the Aging (COSA), the Office of Behavioral Health and the Office of Intellectual Disabilities—and by our community partners is an ongoing process. The Task Force welcomes additional input from local organizations to help identify individuals for the program.
Individuals can call the Delaware County COVID-19 Call Center at (484) 276-2100, or by email covid19resources@co.delaware.pa.us, to add themselves or a homebound loved one, friend or neighbor to the “Homebound Roster” for an on-site at-home vaccination. Information needed includes the name of the person to be vaccinated, a phone number, zip code, and an email if applicable.
Homebound individuals who have already pre-registered with Delaware County for the vaccine at a County vaccination site but now prefer to receive a vaccination in their home must contact the COVID-19 Call Center to ensure that they are placed on the Homebound Vaccination Program’s “Homebound Roster”.
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.