FEMA opens mass vaccination clinic Wednesday at Pennsylvania Convention Center

FEMA’s mass vaccination site now open at Philadelphia Convention Center

FOX 29's Jeff Cole takes a closer look at the first day of operations at the FEMA mass vaccination site at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Center City.

PHILADELPHIA - A federally-supported mass vaccination clinic with the capacity to inoculated thousands of people per day will open Wednesday at the Pennsylvania Convention Center to eligible residents.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and partnering agencies recently selected Philadelphia as part of a 10-city pilot program to expand access to vaccinations. The site will be open seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. through at least Apr. 30.

The FEMA site promises to markedly increase the number of available doses by adding its own allotment to what is given to Philadelphia Health Department. At maximum operating capacity, officials believe the site can administer 6,000 doses per day.

A mass vaccination clinic will open Wednesday at the Pennsylvania Convention Center.

Philadelphia is prioritizing people in the 1A and 1B categories, which includes people 75 and older and people which serious health conditions. Appointments must be made online or through the city's 311 number.

According to the latest data, Philadelphia has administered close to 220,000 first-doses and fully vaccinated more than 100,000 residents. As cases and hospitalizations continue to trend downward, Philadelphia eased some restrictions on crowds and gatherings on Monday.

Philadelphia's stockpile of shots should get an added boost in the coming days with the arrival of Johnson and Johnson's highly effective one-shot COVID-19 vaccine. City officials on Sunday said they are expecting 13,000 doses of the game-changing vaccination.