COVID-19 pandemic in Philadelphia

The first case of COVID-19 was confirmed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on March 10, 2020. According to the Philadelphia Department of Public Health, there have been 31,725 confirmed infections and 1,709 confirmed deaths from COVID-19 in the city.[1] By comparison, there were only 17 influenza deaths in Philadelphia during the 2019-2020 flu season. The COVID-19 pandemic has therefore been over 100 times more deadly than seasonal influenza in the city of Philadelphia.[2]

For effects of the pandemic in the state, see COVID-19 pandemic in Pennsylvania.

COVID-19 pandemic in Philadelphia
The TLA on March 17, 2020 during the City of Philadelphia's shutdown during the Coronavirus epidemic
DiseaseCOVID-19
Virus strainSARS-CoV-2
LocationPhiladelphia
Arrival dateMarch 10, 2020 (announced)
Confirmed cases
  • 117,739 (Pennsylvania; August 12)
  • 31,725 (Philadelphia; August 12)
Severe cases6,445 (hospitalizations, August 12)
Ventilator cases167 (May 17)
Deaths
1,709 (confirmed, August 12)
Government website
www.health.pa.gov/topics/disease/coronavirus/Pages/Cases.aspx

Timeline

The first case of COVID-19 in Philadelphia was announced on March 10, 2020. The infected person was confirmed to be an adult who had exposure to previously confirmed cases of the COVID-19. The city's initial response was not to cancel all large scale events, but instead to recommend that "residents consider not attending large public gatherings with more than 5,000 people". Managing Director Brian Abernathy stated "Obviously this is a difficult situation and we certainly recognize that many businesses and individuals rely on these sorts of events for their livelihood, but we do so out of an abundance of caution. This also impacts our sports teams, both professional, collegiate and even high school. It is simply far more important at this point in time to keep residents and visitors out of large crowds of that size".[3]

On March 17, there were 96 cases in the state of Pennsylvania, more than half of which were in the Philadelphia area, with Montgomery County holding the highest number.[4] As daily cases began to rapidly increase, Mayor Jim Kenney and Dr. Thomas A. Farley, Health Commissioner of the City of Philadelphia, issued a stay-at-home order beginning at 8 a.m. on March 23, 2020. Secretary of Health for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and Professor of Pediatrics and Psychiatry at the Penn State, Rachel Levine, led the state's early response to the outbreak.[5] On March 28, Governor Tom Wolf issued a stay-at-home order for Beaver, Butler, Westmoreland, Centre, and Washington Counties, according to a release from Harrisburg. Governor Wolf announced 533 new cases, bringing the statewide total to 2,751. The highest rise in cases was in Philadelphia County.[6]

On April 3, Governor Wolf asked Pennsylvanians to wear cloth face coverings in public. Philadelphia reduced recycling pickup to every two weeks due to staff shortages.[7] By April 10, Philadelphia had reported 5,793 coronavirus cases and 137 deaths.[5] A passenger was forced off Philadelphia public transportation for not wearing a mask.[8] Levine said that "approximately 45 percent of hospital beds, 38 percent of intensive care unit beds and nearly 70 percent of ventilators remained available for use" as of April 10.[5] Center City is assisting residents over 50 and health care workers who are displaying symptoms consistent with COVID-19.[9]

On the evening of April 8, during a White House COVID-19 press briefing, Vice President Mike Pence and Coronavirus Response Coordinator Dr. Birx warned that Philadelphia may soon become one of the outbreak's next hotspots.[10] One week later, on April 15, Philadelphia reported 603 new cases, its highest daily count.[1] Two days later, on April 17, the city reported its highest single-day death toll of 54 deaths.[1] Days later, hospitals and funeral homes began to run out of space to store the bodies of those who were succumbing to COVID-19.[11] On April 19, a reporter for the Philadelphia Inquirer photographed a pile of corpses wrapped in white sheets and stacked one on top of another in the cargo bed of a pickup truck at the Philadelphia Medical Examiner's Office.[11] The corpses were tagged as coming from Einstein Medical Center located in the hard-hit Olney section of Philadelphia.[11] Workers were seen stepping on top of the pile of deceased bodies to load them into refrigerator trucks.[11]

In late May and early June 2020, large George Floyd protests and riots took place in Philadelphia, raising fears that COVID-19 would surge. However, by mid-June, weeks after the protests, not only did new COVID-19 cases decline, they reached the lowest rates seen since the start of the pandemic.[12]

After dropping to a low of just 4% on June 16, the city-wide positive rate slowly rose in late June and early July.[1] By July 12, the city-wide positive rate had inched up to 7%, indicating that cases were again on the rise.[1] On July 14, Mayor Jim Kenney announced a moratorium on all large public events through February 28, 2021.[13] The moratorium would cancel all public festivals, carnivals, fairs, parades, concerts and flea markets that draw crowds over 50 people.[13] Events such as the AIDS Walk Philly and the Gay Bingo fund raising event were cancelled, losing up to $100,000 in revenue. Philadelphia leaders formed the PHL COVID-19 Fund to assist non-profits. It has generated over $12 million.[14]

Two block parties, one in Lawncrest and one in Allegheny West, were stopped by local police officers on the night of July 25, in an effort to stop viral transmission.[15] On July 28, with COVID-19 continuing to mount, the School District of Philadelphia announced that students will only receive online instruction through November 17.[16]

Demographics

According to the Philadelphia Department of Public Health, African-Americans were approximately 2.3 times more likely to contract COVID-19 and 1.5 times more likely to die from it than Whites.[1] Although accounting for less than half of the city's population, African-Americans account for more COVID-19 deaths than all other racial groups combined.[1] Asian-Americans in Philadelphia present with the lowest death rate, with approximately 5 in every 10,000 Asian-Americans in Philadelphia dying from the virus.[1]

According to the Philadelphia Department of Public Health, the risk of dying from COVID-19 increases exponentially with age.[1] Approximately 56% of all deaths have occurred in persons age 75 or older.[1] Although no children in Philadelphia have died from COVID-19, over 100 children and teens have been hospitalized with the virus.[1] Five deaths and over 650 hospitalizations have occurred in young adults aged 20–34.[1]

When adjusted for population size, males are more likely than females to die from COVID-19.[1]

Data

The neighborhood in Philadelphia with the highest percentage of infected residents was East Oak Lane where 584 people, or 3.6% of the entire population, tested positive for the virus.[1] Data reported to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) show that over 10% of all cases in this neighborhood were attributed to a single outbreak in Laurel Square Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center.[17] Laurel Square reported data to CMS indicating that by May 24 over 25% of its residents had died from COVID-19.[17]

The neighborhood that experienced the most cases overall was Olney, which reported 1,586 cases, or 1.8% of the neighborhood's population.[1] The residential neighborhood with the fewest infections was Manayunk where 46 people, or 0.8% of the population, tested positive for the virus.[1]

The neighborhoods of Bustleton and Somerton in Northeast Philadelphia were also extremely hard-hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. During the peak of the pandemic, multiple nursing homes in these neighborhoods reported over 80% positivity rates and death rates that exceeded 20%.[17] St. John Neumann Center for Rehabilitation & Healthcare and Delaware Valley Veteran's Home, in Somerton, which both report 38 deaths among residents and staff, tie for the highest amount of COVID-19 deaths at any single location (outside of a hospital) in the City of Philadelphia.[17]

There have been 469 confirmed infections in Philadelphia prisons, more than half of which were reportedly asymptomatic.[1] The city has not released data indicating how many prisoners have been hospitalized or have died due to COVID-19.

See also

References
  1. "City of Philadelphia COVID-19 Overview". City of Philadelphia, Department of Public Health. July 20, 2020. Retrieved July 20, 2020.
  2. "Influenza". Philadelphia Department of Public Health, Health Information Portal. June 28, 2020. Retrieved June 28, 2020.
  3. Staff (March 10, 2020). "Philadelphia Reports First Case of New Coronavirus". NBC10 Philadelphia. Retrieved April 12, 2020.
  4. "Coronavirus PA: State announces 16 new COVID-19 cases, bringing total to at least 63 across the commonwealth". Philadelphia, PA: WPVI-TV. March 15, 2020. Archived from the original on March 16, 2020. Retrieved March 15, 2020.
  5. Edwards, Erika (April 11, 2020). "Is Philadelphia the next coronavirus hot spot? Maybe not". NBC News. Retrieved April 12, 2020.
  6. "Coronavirus". PA Department of Health. Retrieved April 7, 2020.
  7. Coronavirus update: Gov. Tom Wolf asks Pennsylvanians to wear masks outdoors
  8. Aitken, Peter (March 11, 2020). "Philadelphia man not wearing face mask seen being dragged off bus". Fox News. Retrieved April 12, 2020.
  9. "Philadelphia COVID-19 cases top 6,000; 176 deaths". 6abc Philadelphia. April 12, 2020. Retrieved April 12, 2020.
  10. "White House names next likely COVID-19 hot spots". CIDRAP - Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy. July 1, 2020. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
  11. Michael Tanenbaum (April 21, 2020). "Philly officials 'appalled' by improper transfer of bodies in pickup truck". Philly Voice. Retrieved July 20, 2020.
  12. "No Spike In Coronavirus Cases After Philly Protests: Officials". Philadelphia, PA Patch. June 16, 2020. Retrieved June 25, 2020.
  13. "Philadelphia issues moratorium on large public events through Feb. 2021 amid coronavirus pandemic". FOX 29 Philadelphia. July 14, 2020. Retrieved July 14, 2020.
  14. Petrillo, Matt (April 12, 2020). "Coronavirus Philadelphia: Much-Needed Relief For Philly Nonprofits Expected This Week". philadelphia.cbslocal.com. Retrieved April 12, 2020.
  15. Marroni, Steve (July 26, 2020). "Hundreds gather at 2 block parties, Philadelphia police called to disperse crowds". The Patriot-News.
  16. Ralph, Pat (July 28, 2020). "Philly schools reverting to remote learning through mid-November". Philly Voice.
  17. "Nursing Home Data". Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Retrieved July 26, 2020.
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