Philadelphia reports first known coronavirus death
One person in Philadelphia has died due to the coronavirus, officials said Wednesday. It’s the first reported death in the city connected to the pandemic.
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Philadelphia reported its first death due to the coronavirus Wednesday, as city officials noted a continued rise in the number of confirmed cases and urged residents to stay home.
The patient was a male in his 50s who had an underlying medical condition, Health Commissioner Thomas Farley said.
The man “became sick a few days ago, was hospitalized briefly and died in the last couple of days,” Farley said.
“Every death is a tragedy. We don’t want to discuss this as just simply statistics," Farley said, but added that he could not give additional details out of respect for the family’s privacy.
Mayor Jim Kenney said the city’s first death was “truly difficult news,” and also a reminder of the seriousness of the virus and the importance of staying home.
“The unfortunate reality is that there will likely be more deaths as the number of cases grow, which is why our stay-at-home order is essential,” Kenney said. “This virus is very real and very deadly.”
Kenney said he has extended his shutdown of nonessential city government operations in the city until April 6. It was initially set to expire Sunday. The stay-at-home order remains in effect without a set end date.
Farley said there were 342 confirmed cases of the virus in Philadelphia as of Wednesday afternoon, including among city employees.
He said there is at least one case among civilian employees, as well as in the fire and police departments. City officials declined to comment on how many city employees have the virus, but said that those who were in contact with them have also been quarantined.
About half of the confirmed cases in Philadelphia are in residents younger than 40, Farley said, and 37 of the cases are in health care workers. There is also more than one nursing home resident with the virus, he said.
“We can’t save everyone,” Farley said. "We want to save as many people as possible which is why we’re taking as many steps as we can to try to slow the spread of this infection.”
Farley said he could not indicate whether there are specific hot spots within the city where the virus is spreading.
“I can only tell you we’ve had cases in every area of the city,” he said.
The number of people who have tested positive for the virus in Pennsylvania surpassed 1,000 Wednesday, while 11,193 people have tested negative, according to state health officials. Eleven people have died in the commonwealth due to the coronavirus.
The number of people who have tested positive for the virus in Pennsylvania surpassed 1,000 Wednesday, while 11,193 people have tested negative, according to state health officials. Eleven people have died in the commonwealth due to the coronavirus.
Staff writer Oona Goodin-Smith and Sean Collins Walsh contributed to this report.