Mayor of Chester concerned over city's low COVID-19 vaccination rates

CHESTER, Pennsylvania (WPVI) -- Nationally, cases of COVID-19 and hospitalizations are on the rise in areas with low vaccination rates. That's why there is growing concern about the city of Chester.

The Mayor of Chester sounded the alarm Tuesday saying just about 27% in the city are fully vaccinated, which falls way behind other cities in the area.

Delaware County as a whole has more than 66% of adults fully vaccinated, according to the CDC.

The medical advisor for Delaware County, Dr. Lisa O'Mahony, says it's not due to lack of opportunity.

Pharmacies there have doses, there are rolling clinics and pop-up vaccination sites.

But they are now re-targeting the city of Chester by reaching out to community leaders, such as faith-based leaders, to help get the message out and get more people vaccinated.

Dr. Gary Zimmer, chief medical officer for Crozer Health says they are hoping this doesn't lead to another surge in cases at the nearby Chester Crozer hospital.

"You can't really predict exactly what is going to happen, but places most likely to see trouble and outbreaks are urban populations with low vaccination rates and, unfortunately, Chester is at high risk for that right now, which is why we remain ready to tackle if it happens. But we're trying really hard, working with the community to get vaccinations up as quickly as possible," he said.

He also said because the Delta variant is more contagious and there is a pocket of people unvaccinated, it raises the risk.

If you live in the area and are looking for vaccine, you can visit: www.Delcopa.gov/vax or call 484-276-2100.