Coronavirus Infection Rates Increasing In Philadelphia

PHILADELPHIA — Coronavirus infection rates in Philadelphia are increasing, according to health officials.

At a news conference Tuesday, Health Commissioner Dr. Thomas Farley said the city has seen an increase in infection rates over the last week.

Last week's daily average case count was 138. Farley said that figure could increase as delayed test results come in.

The 138 average is a 28 case count up from the preceding week, which had a 110 average daily count.

More than 2,500 tests were administered daily over the last week, up from about daily 2,100 test in the preceding week.

Some may think more tests is equal to more positive cases and that's simply a fact of increased testing. But Farley said that the rate of new cases being identified is what really matters.

About 5.5 percent of all tests administered last week were positive, whereas about 5.1 percent were positive before that.

"We've been between 5 and 6 percent since about mid June as far as the percent positive," he said. "But still the trend that there's any increase at all is concerning to us."

If rates continue to climb, Farley said restrictions that have been rolled back could be reimposed.

Farley said officials are trying to "seek a balance" between keeping people safe from the virus and restarting economic activities.

While the virus can kill people, so can poverty and unemployment, he said.

"We may not get it quite right, but we try to judge the best we can and that's what our reopening with care plan is about," he said.

The latest data provided by the city shows a total of 28,742 cases in the city since the start of the pandemic, with 150 new cases reported Tuesday.

Only one additional death was reported Tuesday, bringing the overall death toll in Philadelphia to 1,666 — 854, or 51 percent, of which were nursing home residents.

Farley also said about 90 percent of coronavirus related deaths in the city were people 60 or older and about 70 percent were people 70 and older.

He said since the virus hit the world roughly eight months ago, we've learned that many, and maybe even most, people who get the virus won't see any symptoms which are:

• Fever or chills
• Cough
• Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
• Fatigue
• Muscle or body aches
• Headache
• New loss of taste or smell
• Sore throat
• Congestion or runny nose
• Nausea or vomiting
• Diarrhea

Those who do experience symptoms will have very mild symptoms

But, a small number of people who have the virus will see severe symptoms or fatal infections and that's tied to age and chronic health issues, Farley said.