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Philadelphia probes vaccination site awarded to student, 22 Follow Us
Question of the Day By - Associated Press - Monday, February 1, 2021
PHILADELPHIA (AP) - City officials in Philadelphia promised Monday to improve the vetting of groups hired to administer COVID-19 vaccinations after it closed a convention center site run by a 22-year-old graduate student.
At least two investigations are under way into how the city health department gave the no-contract work to Andrei Doroshin, a Drexel University student with almost no public health experience.
City Council plans a hearing Friday. Council President Darrell Clarke wants to require the city to sign written contracts with vaccine partners given what he called the embarrassment and mistrust that ensued. The city’s Office of Inspector General is meanwhile examining whether Dr. Caroline Johnson, an acting deputy in the health department, u
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Updated 10:50 a.m. Thursday
On a cool night in early October, Andrei Doroshin stood on the rooftop of an apartment building near Temple University in front of a dozen of his staff and volunteers. More people joined via livestream to watch the 22-year-old CEO of Philly Fighting COVID unveil his plan to vaccinate the city of Philadelphia.
Slide after PowerPoint slide delineated his vision, from scheduling to staffing to safety protocols. The marketing plan hinged on inoculating local celebrities like Meek Mill to attract their fan base.
“This is a wholly Elon Musk, shooting-for-the-heavens type of thing,” Doroshin said. “We’re gonna have a preemptive strike on vaccines and basically beat everybody in Philadelphia to it.”
In the marathon Committee of the Whole meeting, councilmembers voted to:
Approve a 1% Development Impact tax on construction;
Delay the reduction of the 10-year residential tax abatement;
Reduce the tax abatement for commercial construction projects from 100% to 90%;
And support a $400 million bond package called the Neighborhood Preservation Initiative, which would fund programs to build affordable housing construction and offer repair grants for residents struggling to stay in their existing home. Other goals are explained here.
Tuesday s legislation is not final, but could be brought for a first reading Dec. 3 and passed by Dec. 10, a spokesperson for Council President Darrell Clarke said.