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Ask us about COVID-19: What questions are you asking about the current outbreak?
Update at 6.30 p.m.
The Pennsylvania Department of Health reported on Tuesday 6 669 additional positive COVID-19 cases, bringing the statewide total to 321,070. He reported 81 new deaths, for a total of 9,951 deaths attributed to COVID-19 statewide.
Philadelphia reported Tuesday 1,077 additional confirmed cases of COVID-19, for a total of 61,780 case. Another 45 probable cases have also been identified. Seven new deaths have been reported in Philadelphia, for a total of 1,960 since the start of the pandemic.
Farley warns of rising infection and death rates
Philadelphia Health Commissioner Thomas Farley expressed concern over rising COVID-19 infection and death rates on Tuesday, which he said left unchecked could strain hospital resources.
“We are still seeing a very high number of coronavirus cases here in Philadelphia,” Farley said. “And we are seeing an increase in the serious consequences of this infection.”
Over the past week, Philadelphia has recorded an average of 765 new cases per day – less than the daily average of 888 cases the week before, although Farley added that the latest figure will likely increase as more data is released. . Pennsylvania reports more than 6,000 cases per day.
The number of people hospitalized with COVID is also increasing at the city and state level. According to the Pennsylvania State Database, the number of inpatients reached 3,400 yesterday from 2,900 last Thursday. “Both of these are new heights,” Farley said. “They’ve never been so tall before.”
This morning, Philadelphia reported 672 hospitalizations, up from 542 last Thursday, and the numbers continue to rise.
“To put that into perspective, we peaked at about a thousand cases last spring,” Farley said. “So we can handle this now, but I’m still worried that hospitals will be strained if we don’t get this particular epidemic wave under control.
The number of deaths in the city is also increasing, from an average of 10 deaths per week in September to 31 deaths the week of November 8 and 17 deaths the week of November 15.
However, said Farley, there were some signs of hope – last week, Philadelphia’s positive infection rate stabilized at 11.8% – like the week before – after weeks of rising numbers .
“A leveling trend might just be a pause before it sees another increase; it could be the start of a reversal, ”Farley said. “But even so, the number of daily cases that we see is still extremely high.”
Pa. Defines the contact tracing priorities
Pennsylvania has adopted a new prioritization system for its contact tracing efforts in light of the surge in cases. The state health department is focusing on people who have been infected in the last six days before others, as well as those who may be at high risk of serious infection or at high risk of infecting d ‘other people.
This includes those who work in a group care environment or other dense environments. The new scheme also prioritizes contact tracing for contacts who live in the same household as positive cases over contacts who live elsewhere. If more than 14 days have passed since the infection was diagnosed, the contact tracing team will no longer pursue the contact tracing case.
Michael Huff, director of testing and contact tracing for Pennsylvania, said the state has been working with a prioritization program for about three weeks, but the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released their recommendations on Tuesday.
During the week of Nov. 8, case investigators in Pennsylvania reached less than a quarter of 34,719 positive cases. In addition to the 8,332 people affected, the Department of Health followed 11,550 of their relatives.
“People don’t want to answer the phone,” Huff said. “Public health controls are only as effective as the willingness of individuals to carry them out.”
Huff admitted that he didn’t often answer the phone when an unknown number called, and said he understood that people may be reluctant to give personal information to a stranger or fear incriminating the business or restaurant they told the health department that they visited. He said that was the reason the state was striving to have a trusted and respected voice from the health ministry on the other end.
When asked if the number of cases could reach a threshold of cases where contact tracing is no longer a good use of resources, Huff noted that this is what the prioritization scheme is for.
“We will continue to work on these lists,” Huff said. “We are not going to stop.”
In Philadelphia, the city has asked many people who tested positive to call their own close contacts to warn them that they may have been exposed. The case count in the city has so far exceeded its contact tracing capacity as the department no longer reports weekly case surveys and contact tracing numbers.
City officials defend new restrictions amid backlash
Mayor Kenney and Commissioner Farley reiterated the importance of keeping up with new city and state restrictions, despite the refusal of some small businesses.
“I understand that the people who are affected by this are unhappy with this, but I think we have to recognize how many people are dying and could be dying,” Farley said. “And that this kind of step, for a limited time, seems worth it to me.”
A group of gym owners, called the Philadelphia Fitness Coalition, protested outside City Hall earlier today, saying their own data showed little evidence of new infections coming from gyms.
“With all due respect to them, their data and their tracing, they are not public health professionals, and our public health professionals tell us that this is the right thing to do to keep people safe, ”Kenney said. “I understand their concern and disappointment, but I follow the public health professionals and their advice.”
Farley added that the gym stop was only scheduled for six weeks.
“I sympathize with gym owners, but we have human lives on the line here,” Farley said and encouraged people to continue paying their gym membership fees so the gyms can stay afloat.
Philadelphia passed new restrictions last Friday aimed at tackling the recent outbreak of infections that closed indoor restaurants, gyms, museums and libraries and limited the number of people who can enter a store at a time.
Environmental health teams are currently circulating in downtown retail stores to ensure the new restrictions are followed.
“It’s pretty common to find places that don’t wear masks and don’t play by the rules,” Farley said.
Ahead of Black Friday, Kenney also warned potential shoppers to avoid the long lines, wear their masks, and use curbside pickup when possible.
Farley added that some of the city’s restrictions – including those requiring people to work from home – are stricter than the statewide restrictions announced by Governor Wolf yesterday, and advised the Philadelphians to play Security.
“For the people of the city of Philadelphia, they have to follow the most restrictive requirements – they have to follow the city’s rules,” he said.
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