COVID cases are rising in Philadelphia. Heres what to know – WHYY

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Philadelphia is currently experiencing a rise in COVID-19 cases. The virus continues to mutate, posing ongoing public health challenges as vaccine makers race to fight new strains.

Despite the increase, the overall numbers tracked by the city are still low right now, says Gayle Mendoza, a clinician in the citys COVID Containment Division.

While we are seeing an increase, were starting at a really low number right before that. Our baseline was incredibly low, Mendoza said. For example, just this past month, the rates for emergency department visits related to COVID are only at 1% of total visits. Thankfully, we havent seen an increase in deaths due to COVID, which is great.

Preliminary data from the citys Department of Public Health and local hospitals reveal that only one person was newly hospitalized for COVID-19 in Philadelphia last week, mirroring the number of new hospitalizations from exactly one year ago.

The city no longer keeps track of the number of people who test positive for COVID-19. Instead, the Department of Public Health monitors the monthly concentration of the virus in Philadelphias three wastewater treatment plants. Only the Northeast Water Treatment plant reported an increased concentration at the start of the month. The Southeast and Southwest plants reported declines.

Mendoza emphasizes that staying up-to-date with vaccinations remains the best defense against severe illness, long COVID and death from COVID-19. For most children and adults, this means receiving a new shot every September. The national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, however, is preparing to end its program providing free COVID-19 vaccines to uninsured individuals next month.

So there may have to be other ways that people need to access those vaccines if theyre looking to get it and it might not be covered under their current insurance plan, says Mendoza.

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COVID cases are rising in Philadelphia. Heres what to know - WHYY