With the COVID-19 pandemic on the rise in the United States, Philadelphia Health Commissioner Dr. Thomas Farley said Tuesday: “(It) has not ended. The virus is still here.”
Farley said the virus causes a wide variety of diseases, “more than any other virus I know of.”
Many people, perhaps even most, he said, have no symptoms and may not even know they had the infection.
Of those who know they have the infection, these are mostly mild symptoms.
“However, there is a very small percentage of people who have severe symptoms or may even have a fatal infection,” Farley said.
The health commissioner said this is strongly related to a person’s age. Older people and people with chronic medical conditions are at much higher risk, Farley said.
Overall, approximately 70% of COVID-19-related deaths in Philadelphia are in people over the age of 70. About 90% are over 60 years old.
“We know on an individual level that wearing a mask, keeping distance from people and having barriers, and other safety precautions can be very protective if people wear them constantly,” Farley said.
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Health officials learned that if the city closes entirely, infection rates decrease. That is what happened in March. Farley noted in mid-April that the number of virus cases peaked and then began to decline.
However, Farley said that success comes at a price.
“With that closure, you also see businesses that are injured or fail; layoffs or layoffs; waves of unemployment; social problems; and difficulties for everyone to do things, from basic purchases to haircuts and education of our children Farley said.
He said that, along with the virus, unemployment, which leads to poverty, also kills.
But Farley said that if they did nothing, they ignored the virus and let all activities begin, they know that the virus increases and so do deaths.
“That is what happened in Florida. That is what happened in Georgia. That is what we do not want to happen here in Philadelphia,” Farley said.
He said officials in the city and across the country are trying to strike a balance, allowing some activities to continue while limiting the spread of the virus.
The city has allowed people to walk trails and go to shops with masks, but it has banned indoor dining and movie theaters.
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Farley focused on restaurants and bars, saying they have been the “driving factor” behind the large increase in cases in the south and west.
“Philly did not open interior restaurant food when most of the United States and the rest of Pennsylvania did. In hindsight, I think it was the right decision,” Farley said.
He took a moment to clarify the city’s orientation for school sports. While the guidelines do not prohibit competition between teams, the health department strongly recommends against doing so due to the close exposure of the participants involved and the mix of people from different neighborhoods. They recommend that teams focus on developing athletic skills rather than competition.
Whether it’s a game or a workout, all teams must follow the city rule of fewer than 50 people at a time, including players, coaches and umpires, and non-spectators.
Farley said social distancing is only 1/3 of the plan to combat COVID-19. The other two parts are containment, which involves testing and tracing contacts, and protecting vulnerable populations.
“So what will the future be like from here?” Farley asked rhetorically.
His answer: If case rates increase, the city may have to shut down some activities again. He said he would rather not do that, but would be forced to do so if the number of cases increases. If case rates drop, the city can gradually allow activities that remain closed under the modified green phase to reopen. If the case rates are stable, the city will remain as it is at this point with respect to what is allowed and safety guidelines.
“Let’s be honest, we can have open and close cycles as the (pandemic) changes around us as we learn more in the coming months,” Farley said.
He said all of this will continue until there is a vaccine.
Farley said he knows “this is not very satisfactory” and that people just want the virus to go away.
But he said the virus will not go away soon. He said he will take a combination of actions to keep COVID-19 under control.
“However, I think if we do that, we can live with it,” Farley said.
He said that eventually we can leave all of this behind.
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