Pa. opens vaccines to all adults Tuesday | Coronavirus Newsletter

The gist: Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf announced Monday that everyone 16 and older will be eligible to sign up for vaccine appointments beginning Tuesday. You may have heard recently that the vaccines prevent 90% of COVID-19 infections, but the reality is a bit more nuanced. My colleague Tom Avril explains what the numbers really mean.

— Kelly O’Shea (@kelloshea, health@inquirer.com)

🔓 COVID-19 vaccine eligibility in Philadelphia expanded Monday to include everyone in Phase 1C, such as public-health and social-service works, landscapers and unpaid caregivers of medically vulnerable people.

😷 Regeneron’s monoclonal antibody drug can help prevent the chance of infection in unvaccinated individuals living with someone newly diagnosed with COVID-19, the company announced Monday.

🎓 The Philadelphia School District is promising high school seniors in-person graduation ceremonies in June, though they won’t be eligible for face-to-face learning at all this school year.

💉 Are you ready for a third vaccine shot? Pfizer and Moderna are testing tweaked versions of their COVID-19 doses in an attempt to fend off coronavirus variants.

🏥 Philadelphia is partnering with Veterans Affairs starting Monday for a week-long vaccination clinic at the Corporal Michael J. Crescenz VA Medical Center in West Philadelphia.

📰 What’s going on near you? We organize recent coverage of the pandemic by local counties and Philly neighborhoods to make it easier for you to find info you care about. Now, you also can get those local headlines sent directly to your inbox by signing up here.

📈While the numbers have been showing signs of leveling off, coronavirus case totals continue to increase in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. The Inquirer and Spotlight PA are compiling geographic data on tests conducted, cases confirmed, and deaths caused by the virus. Track the spread here.

Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf announced Monday that everyone 16 and older will be eligible to sign up for coronavirus vaccine appointments beginning Tuesday, six days earlier than the state had previously planned. Acting Health Secretary Alison Beam said the sudden decision to move up the timeline for universal eligibility was made in part because vaccine providers across the commonwealth have been having trouble filling appointments. The new timeline does not affect Philadelphia, which has its own dose allotment and distribution plan.

You may have heard recently that the vaccines prevent all COVID-19 deaths. Or that they prevent all cases of the disease in young people. And that in adults, they prevent 90% of infections — that is, blocking disease as well as those under-the-radar cases with no symptoms. Well, not exactly, my colleague Tom Avril reports. Although those three factoids have been in the headlines recently, the reality is a bit more nuanced. For a variety of reasons, the real-world potency of the vaccines is probably not quite as broad as those sound bites suggest. Read more here.

Come in for a book, and leave with a free plant to grow? The Free Library is launching a new pilot project that allows you to bring a plant cutting and take a plant cutting, so you can share and grow your plant collection for free. It’s set to open later this month at the Chestnut Hill branch. Read more here.

⛲ From Franklin Square fountain shows to Peter Pan, here are the best kids events in Philly this week.

🚸 Safe Routes Philly aims to teach students to walk and bike safely around the city.

💍 Columnist Maria Panaritis found an engagement ring near a school sidewalk. Little did she know where it would lead.

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