Philadelphia vaccine mandate requiring 1 dose for certain groups begins Friday

Philadelphia extends vaccine mandate deadline for health care workers, higher education students and staff

The acting health commissioner says the department's goal is to get everyone vaccinated against COVID-19 and not to leave health care and education systems shorthanded.

PHILADELPHIA - Friday marks the deadline for certain people at Philadelphia’s healthcare facilities and colleges to get a least one COVID-19 vaccine dose.

The Oct. 15 deadline applies to all healthcare staff in hospitals and long-term care facilities, as well as higher education students, faculty, and staff.

Individuals who fall into those groups will need to get their second dose or be fully vaccinated by Nov. 15. Until they are fully vaccinated, they will need to undergo regular testing.

Those who do not have approved exemptions will be out of compliance and will not be able to work or study in those settings, the city says.

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Last week, the city had pushed back the deadline that previously required those groups to be fully vaccinated by Friday. The Philadelphia Department of Health says they pushed the deadline back after hearing concerns about meeting the goal, particularly from behavioral and home health care providers.

"We’ve seen from other places that have implemented vaccine mandates that they work. Workers do step up and get their vaccines despite lots of anxiety before the deadlines," Acting Philadelphia Health Commissioner Dr. Cheryl Bettigole said when announcing the extension.

All other health care workers, except for those in hospitals and long-term care facilities, will have one additional week beyond that accommodation to get their first dose of the vaccine with a deadline of Nov. 22 for the second dose and will need to be tested twice a week until they are fully vaccinated.

For more information on the city's mandate or resources for making a vaccination appointment, you can visit their website.