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Temple University will become an official Philadelphia vaccine provider, the school announced Monday afternoon.
Located on its main campus in North Philly, the Temple vaccination center will serve not only students, faculty and staff, but also city residents, according to an email sent to students. Starting March 31, it will be open on Wednesdays and Thursdays for six weeks, according to the Temple News. Wednesdays are dedicated to students, faculty and staff, and Thursdays are dedicated to neighbors.
Every week, the new site will receive 1,100 doses of the Pfizer vaccine from the city, with the doses being separated between the two days.
All recipients must live in the city — and be able to prove they have a Philadelphia address — as well as fall under the city’s Phase 1A or 1B eligibility categories, which includes health care workers, other essential front line workers, people with high-risk medical conditions, and people over the age of 65.
No walk-ups will be accepted at the appointment-only site, which will be located at White Hall, according to the Temple News. The dorm on North Broad just south of Susquehanna Avenue makes a good location for the clinic because it’s not being used for housing right now, university spokesperson Raymond Betzner said.
First doses will be administed within the first three weeks of the site’s opening. Then, the final three weeks will be for second and final doses of the Pfizer vaccine.
Eligible students, faculty, and staff can sign up to receive an invitation via a university-run vaccine interest form.
Appointments for city residents will be made separately, according to Betzner, who said the university will receive lists of names from the Philly Health Department.
Temple is planning to bring students back to campus for the fall 2021 semester. The last time it attempted this, last September, case counts were relatively low, but there was no vaccine. Within the first week, an outbreak occurred, with over 350 students testing positive — and officials expressed worry it could spread to nearby neighbors. The university quickly retreated, and returned to all online.
The college’s ZIP code, 19122, currently has one of the higher vaccination rates in the city, according to Health Department data. Just north of the college, however, vaccination rates drop dramatically.
Temple appears to be the first university in Philadelphia to become a vaccine provider for the city.
Drexel announced to students last week that it had applied to operate a vaccine distribution center and was awaiting approval. UPenn has not announced plans to operate as a vaccination center. Both University City schools are planning a return to in-person learning in the fall.
