Philadelphia expands phase 1B qualifications for COVID-19 vaccine

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Philadelphia's health commissioner announced a small expansion for COVID-19 vaccine eligibility group 1B during a news conference on Friday morning.

Dr. Thomas Farley said the high-risk category now includes people with intellectual disabilities and an expansion of the definition of immunosuppression to include those taking medicine to suppress the immune system "for any cause."

Farley also said members of the clergy are now added to phase 1B.

"With services restarting, members of the clergy are at high risk for acquiring the COVID infection or transmitting it, particularly transmitting it to people who are elderly," Farley said.

As of Thursday, 402,000 first doses and 156,000 second doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been administered across the city.

Farley said the supply of vaccination doses has leveled off. The city had been seeing increases, but officials were told by the government that they will not receive additional Pfizer or Moderna vaccines for the next three weeks.