PHILLY US HOUSE DELEGATION QUESTIONS CDC DISTRIBUTION FORMULA INEQUITIES

PHILADELPHIA - Today, Philadelphia's U.S. House delegation, comprised of Rep. Brendan F. Boyle (PA-02), Rep. Dwight Evans (PA-03) and Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon (PA-05), jointly penned a letter to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky, regarding concerns about vaccine deficits resulting from the current CDC allocation formula, and how those formulas may actually be creating inequities in distributing the vaccine to Philadelphia residents.

In the letter, the Philadelphia House delegation requests modifying the vaccination allocation formula so the city can ensure they have the proper supply of vaccines to accommodate all residents and workers. They detail concerns that the formula does not adequately account for the rate at which Philadelphia, and other large cities, vaccinate non-resident workers. The Philadelphia House delegation stated that the situation in Philadelphia, where thousands of non-resident workers are employed in a variety of industries, is indicative of the inadequacies of the current formula now being implemented nationwide. During the initial phases of the vaccine rollout, both residents and non-residents who work in Philadelphia received COVID vaccinations from the Philadelphia Department of Public Health. The Philadelphia delegation states in their letter that, "..it has been communicated to our offices by the City of Philadelphia that their Department of Public Health estimates as many as half of those vaccinated thus far have been non-residents of Philadelphia."

The Philadelphia delegation also expressed concern that the CDC's current population-based formula used to determine vaccine allocations may also be affecting many other large cities across the country in a similarly adverse manner.

The Philadelphia delegation concluded the letter by asking the CDC to consider updating the vaccine allocation formula to adequately account for larger cities that host large, daytime non-resident worker populations. They suggested a possible recalibration of the current CDC delivery/distribution formula that, once updated, would not jeopardize vaccine supplies for full-time city residents, all the while ensuring vaccinations for frontline workers and other essential personnel.

A copy of the joint letter can be found HERE
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