Philly suburbs hopes for more doses as Biden pushes for more eligibility

The Pennsylvania Health Department said in a statement they’re administering vaccines as quickly as they get them from the federal government. They noted Pennsylvania ranks 12th in the nation for first doses. 

PENNSYLVANIA - President Joe Biden on Monday announced that at least 90% of the adult U.S. population will be eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine by April 19 and will have access to a vaccination site within 5 miles of home.

The news comes as Philly suburbs continue to fight for more doses.

In an address to the nation from the White House, Biden said quick vaccination would still depend on supply as well as overcoming some people's hesitancy about the shots. The president had previously directed that all states make all adults eligible for vaccination by May 1, but many have moved to lift eligibility requirements sooner in anticipation of supply increases.

The Pennsylvania Health Department said in a statement they’re administering vaccines as quickly as they get them from the federal government. They noted Pennsylvania ranks 12th in the nation for first doses.

"We have 145,000 vaccinated in the county. We estimate our 1A list to be around 220,000 so we are not quite there yet," Rosemarie Halt, Delaware County's COVID Director, said.

Chester County launched a new vaccine scheduling system that it says will help get more shots in many more arms.

"We want to make sure we can continue to allow people to fill appointments so we've opened up about 12 weeks of appointments for ultimately with the goal of finishing 1A, not that it will take 12 weeks," Jeanne Franklin, director of the Chester County Health Department, said.

Right now, Chester County is vaccinating between 10 to 12,000 people a week. Franklin says they are aiming for President Biden's goal of May 1.