PHILADELPHIA – The Philadelphia Department of Public Health today announced 171 additional confirmed cases of COVID-19 novel coronavirus in Philadelphia. That brings the number of confirmed cases to 37,983. In addition, the Department of Public Health also announced 15 new probable cases from rapid antigen tests.
The Department of Public Health confirmed no additional fatalities in Philadelphia. The number of residents who have succumbed to the virus in Philadelphia remains at 1,817. Of the 1,817 total deaths, 896 (49%) were long-term care facility residents.
Fire Prevention Week and Citywide Fire Drill: The Philadelphia Fire Department responds to several structure fires each day, and members put themselves in danger to save lives and protect property. But fire is everyone’s fight—and residents can help protect their homes and their loved ones. Cooking is the most common cause of home fires and home fire injuries in the United States. That’s why the theme for Fire Prevention Week (October 4-10) is “Serve up fire safety in the kitchen!” Check out the Fire Department’s blog for tips on cooking safely, and please make sure you have working smoke alarms and a home escape plan:
- Test your smoke alarms regularly. Your alarms should have 10-year, sealed, lithium-ion batteries, and you should have one on each floor of your house—including the basement. If your alarm uses a 9-volt battery, please replace the entire alarm with a model that has a 10-year battery. If you need smoke alarms, request them through Philly311 and the Fire Department will install them for free.
- On Thursday at 7:30 p.m., fire apparatus sirens will sound throughout the city to indicate the start of the citywide fire drill. All Philadelphians are urged to participate by testing their home escape plans. Residents should know two ways out of their home in case of an emergency, and it should take less than two minutes for everyone to get outside to a predetermined meeting place. Don’t forget your pets!
Daily Trash and Recycling Update: Residents can check the daily trash and recycling update blog post to see the current status of trash and recycling collections.
- Trash: On schedule, residents should put out trash on their regular collection day.
- Recycling: On schedule, residents should put out recycling on their regular collection day.
Testing Site Map: A testing site finder at phila.gov/testing helps people find a free COVID-19 test in Philadelphia. Anyone can search for a site by address, click on a map location for specific site information, and filter by day of week and by drive-thru or walk-up.
COVID-19 Resources:
- City’s COVID-19 homepage: phila.gov/covid-19.
- COVID-19 resources translated into multiple languages.
- Greater Philadelphia Coronavirus Helpline: 1 (800) 722-7112.
- Residents can text COVIDPHL to 888-777 to get updates sent to their phones.
- Find out more about testing for COVID-19.
- Businesses with questions about reopening using the Department of Public Health’s guidelines should email business@phila.gov.
- The PHL COVID-19 Fund continues to solicit donations to aid nonprofits that are on the frontline of the pandemic.
Resources for Media:
- Recordings of COVID-19 briefings (Subtitles available in multiple languages).
- COVID-19 press releases.