President Joe Biden used his first prime-time address to outline his plan Thursday night to make all adults vaccine-eligible by May 1 and get the country closer to normal by the Fourth of July, offering Americans fresh hope and appealing for their help. It s hope. It s like we re going to be through this soon, said Edward Onorato of South Philadelphia. I like to be confident that we can do that, said Javari Cherry of Northeast Philadelphia.
Others aren t as optimistic. I don t think that s going to happen, we re so far behind as it is, said Douglas Johnson of Center City.
The timing and message behind his address may also lift spirits in the suburban counties outside of the city.
Funeral services held for longtime Philadelphia police officer who died after a battle with COVID
WPVI
In Philadelphia alone, more than 116,000 people have been sickened with the virus.
Sadly, nearly 3,200 people have lost their lives. Among them, some front-line workers who paid the ultimate price while performing jobs essential to keeping others safe.
One of those workers was laid to rest Thursday.
Family, friends and fellow Philadelphia police officers said their final goodbyes to Officer Erin Tokley. Commissioner Danielle Outlaw said he was a dedicated, reliable officer whose end of watch came at the hands of an invisible adversary.
It was solemn goodbye for Tokley, who passed away at 47 years old. The 24-year veteran of the Philadelphia Police Department lost his battle with COVID-19 earlier this month.
PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) As we see the reopening of ballparks, expanded guidelines for dining, and relaxed travel restrictions, Action News asked, When will people feel fully protected once again? When will we return to normal as we once knew it?
For Sheila Walker from Lawncrest, vaccinated or not, she won t be removing her mask or traveling by air anytime soon. In order to take the mask off and branch out like it used to be? About another year, said Walker. I think it s still got at least a good six months or more to go, said Alan Herrera of Fishtown. He says he can t wait to get fully vaccinated and fly to visit his grandchildren.
As the first students within the School District of Philadelphia return to in-person learning, Superintendent Dr. William Hite is looking back on a challenging year after the COVID-19 pandemic forced major changes to education.
What began on a front porch, and quickly turned into a donated storefront, is now flourishing.
The couple and masterminds behind it all are Nicholas Freeman and Jessica Rights who were both laid off from their catering jobs during the pandemic. Now they use their industry skills to fight food insecurity. The flipside of food scarcity is also food waste, which is also a huge problem, said Freeman.
Mount Airy Groceries is based around volunteers.
Freeman and Rights get food donated from wholesalers like Philly Food Works. Food is then delivered to charities like Germantown Face to Face and Philadelphia Interfaith Hospitality Network. Those organizations distribute the food or volunteers drop it off directly.