How Philly’s shutdown saved thousands of lives, according to Drexel researchers | Coronavirus Newsletter
Plus, Pennsylvania’s plan to have mass testing of nursing home residents, employees
TL;DR: A Drexel University team of public health researchers estimated that the first 45 days of Philadelphia’s shutdown, which began March 23, avoided about 57,000 hospitalizations and saved 6,200 lives. Here is how Pennsylvania decides when counties can reopen. Pennsylvania health officials announced today that they would require mass testing of tens of thousands of nursing home staff and residents.
— Ellie Silverman (@esilverman11, health@inquirer.com)
What you need to know:
🏠 It’s still too soon to set a timeline for reopening Philadelphia, the city’s health commissioner says.
🎆 Philly’s Welcome America festival for the Fourth of July will take place virtually.
🇺🇸 President Donald Trump’s planned visit to a Delaware County factory that produces PPE materials was canceled after plant officials expressed concerns about health risks. He is now slated to visit a medical equipment firm outside Allentown.
✈️ Photos: A New Jersey Air National Guard flyover honored COVID-19 first responders.
🎭 Disney is making filmed version of Hamilton streamable in July.
💰 Nancy Pelosi unveiled a $3 trillion coronavirus aid package, for which the House could vote on as soon as Friday.
Local coronavirus cases
📈The coronavirus has swept across the Philadelphia region and cases continue to mount. The Inquirer and Spotlight PA are compiling geographic data on tests conducted, cases confirmed, and deaths caused by the virus. Track the spread here.
Pennsylvania health officials said Tuesday they would require mass testing of tens of thousands of nursing home staff and residents. This announcement comes after Pennsylvania long-term care facilities have been struggling to contain the spread of the coronavirus. More than two-thirds of the more than 3,800 Pennsylvanians who have died of the coronavirus were residents of nursing or personal-care homes. "This effort will give us a clearer picture of the extent of outbreaks in nursing homes and a head-start at stopping them,” Secretary of Health Rachel Levine said. Read more here about Pennsylvania’s plan.
A Drexel University team of public health researchers used an interactive model developed by the New York Times to estimate how many hospitalizations and deaths were prevented in 30 big cities, including Philadelphia. The researchers estimated the first 45 days of the city’s shutdown, which began March 23, prevented about 57,000 hospitalizations and 6,200 deaths. Staying home until May 22 would prevent 68,000 hospitalizations and 7,100 deaths. Read more here about what the researchers found.
Helpful resources
Open or closed? What Pennsylvania businesses can open during the red, yellow, and green phases.
Here are 8 principles of social distancing to help figure out what you can and can’t do.
Here’s a list of local Philly stores that deliver groceries, meat, dairy, coffee beans, and more.
Why some get really sick from the coronavirus, and others don’t.
Have another question? Our reporters have tracked down almost 100 answers here.
You got this: Don’t expand your quarantine circle yet
Even though Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf extended this region’s stay-at-home order until June 4, people are increasingly traveling further from home. They’re going against local guidelines and scheduling hangouts, sometimes maintaining six feet of distance from one another, and other times not. But experts warn you shouldn’t do that. Here’s why.
💰Still want your stimulus check by direct deposit? Here’s what you need to do.
🏥 If you lost health insurance when you got laid off, here’s how to get coverage.
🍅 Did you eat your two-week food supply? Here’s why you need to restock it now.
Have a social distancing tip or question to share? Let us know at health@inquirer.com and your input might be featured in a future edition of this newsletter.
What we’re paying attention to
Public schools are struggling to adjust to remote learning, while some private schools have “online luxury learning,” the New York Times reports. This is widening the education gap across the county.
Twitter will allow employees to work from home “forever,” BuzzFeed reports.
More than half of Americans say the U.S. government is doing a poor job preventing the spread of the coronavirus, according to a new poll from CNN.
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