COVID Case Increase In Eastern PA Prompts Mask Warning

PHILADELPHIA, PA — Health officials in eastern Pennsylvania are warning of increased coronavirus cases and are again encouraging indoor masking usage.

According to the Philadelphia Department of Public Health, the average number of Philadelphians testing positive for COVID-19 has been slowly rising over the last several weeks.

In the last 10 days, the slope of that rise has increased.

While the city remains in the "all clear" phase of its coronavirus response, officials recommend that people start considering wearing a mask while in indoor public spaces to help reduce their risk.

"The Health Department has been warning that, based on what we’ve seen in Europe, we could see another COVID-19 wave sooner rather than later," Health Commissioner Dr. Cheryl Bettigole said Monday. "And now, cases in Philadelphia are slowly rising and have increased by more than 50 percent in the last ten days.”

Cases have also incrementally risen in Bucks, Chester, Delaware and Montgomery counties over the past week.

The new BA.2 subvariant is estimated to be responsible for anywhere from 61 to 73 percent of new cases in the wider region, according to the latest estimates by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The newly identified subvariant is considered to be more transmissible, but it's not expected to cause more severe illness than the delta variant, according to a preliminary study from the State Serum Institute in Denmark.

Overall, hospitalizations remain very low, and case rates are far lower than they were during the early winter. But officials in Pennsylvania are stressing caution.

“As we see more cases of COVID-19 in the city, everyone’s risk goes up,” Bettigole added. “That means that now is the time to start taking precautions. It’s not required yet, but Philadelphians should strongly consider wearing a mask while in public indoor spaces. Make sure you have a supply of masks and home tests ready in case you need them. And if you haven’t gotten up-to-date on your COVID-19 vaccine, there’s still time to do that and help protect yourself and your community today."

This recommendation follows earlier warnings to get ready in case a new COVID-19 wave comes to Philadelphia.

In the last two weeks, 3.1 percent of COVID-19 tests in Philadelphia have come back positive, and Philadelphia has averaged 94 new cases of COVID-19 per day over the past two weeks.

Additionally, the Department of Health reports 48 patients with COVID-19 are currently being treated in Philadelphia hospitals, with a total of five on ventilators.

To date, 277,438 Philadelphians have been diagnosed with COVID-19, and 5,006 have succumbed to the virus.

At least 1,055,329 Philadelphians — or 75.9 percent — 12 and older are fully vaccinated, and at least 1,275,879 — or 93.5 percent — have at least one dose of the vaccine.