PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Philadelphia health officials are reporting that new cases of COVID-19 have doubled over the last week, possibly related to the Delta variant.
Interim Health Commissioner Dr. Cheryl Bettigole said the city is seeing a small but real increase. Officials say Philadelphia cases have doubled to about 56 a day, up from about 24 a day when cases leveled off in recent weeks.
The percent of positive COVID-19 tests has also doubled, to 2%.
Philadelphia sequences a small sample of COVID-19 cases to identify what variants are circulating. So far, it’s identified 12 cases of the Delta variant.
City health officials say other places where the Delta variant has been identified have seen a rise in cases, so they believe the rise in new cases here is linked to the presence of the Delta variant.
Bettigole said the high vaccination rate means most adults are protected. More than 60% of adults — 750,077 in total — are now fully vaccinated, and 73% of those adults — 912,811 in total — have at least one dose.
COVID-19 cases are up in the rest of Pennsylvania, as well, but the rise isn’t as dramatic as in other parts of the country where vaccination rates are lower.
The Pennsylvania Department of Health reported 996 new cases over the weekend. The previous weekend that figure was 547.
There is, however, a major difference compared to other states. For example, in Pennsylvania, where nearly 62% of adults are fully vaccinated, the seven-day average of COVID-19 cases is close to 400, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. In Missouri, where just under half of adults are fully vaccinated, the average is about 2,000 new cases a day. Health officials say the Delta variant, which is the dominant strain in the United States, is to blame for the surge in cases.
"[The Delta variant] is moving far faster, but it seems to have about the same punch as the initial COVID virus that we all faced, which is bad enough if you’re unvaccinated," said KYW Medical Editor Dr. Brian McDonough.
But with this jump in case counts, there has not been a return to universal masking or other restrictions that are happening in cities including Los Angeles and Las Vegas. And the commonwealth is not seeing the jumps that states including Florida, Missouri, Alabama are seeing. In those communities, vaccination rates are low and the Delta variant is spreading. The problem is more serious because of how contagious it is.
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Health officials emphasize, the vast majority of COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths are among those who have not been vaccinated.
"This is becoming a pandemic of the unvaccinated," CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said during the White House’s COVID-19 Task Force press briefing on Friday. "We are seeing outbreaks of cases in parts of the country that have low vaccination coverage because unvaccinated people are at risk, and communities that are fully vaccinated are generally faring well."
A big concern is protecting those who can’t get vaccinated. For example, children ages 11 and under are not yet eligible to get any of the vaccines. So, the American Academy of Pediatrics, on Monday, recommended that there be universal masking in schools in the fall.
"Masking is proven to reduce transmission of the virus and to protect those who are not vaccinated," the AAP said in a statement on its website. "Many schools will not have a system to monitor vaccine status of students, teachers and staff, and some communities overall have low vaccination uptake where the virus may be circulating more prominently."
Philadelphia's Bettigole urged everyone who has put off the shot, to act now.
"The best thing you can do to protect your loved ones is to get vaccinated – and get your second dose as soon as you’re eligible," Bettigole said in a statement.
"For those who are not yet fully vaccinated, please do everything else you can to protect yourself: Choose outdoor rather than indoor spaces, avoid crowded indoor spaces, wear a mask when around others, and consider double masking when you do have to be in public indoor spaces. You can protect those in your community and keep [the Delta variant] out of your home."
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