COVID cases rise in Philadelphia, surrounding areas amid holiday season
PHILADELPHIA - Due to an uptick in holiday travel and gatherings, COVID cases are back for the fourth consecutive season.
FOX 29’s Cheyenne Corin gets the opinions of medical professionals and locals on the return of the virus.
"I just picked up a penny off the ground, I’m touching the atm machine, it’s really difficult to be overly concerned about what you’re coming to contact with on a daily," said one Philadelphian.
Though doctors say at this point many people aren’t too concerned and are even tired of hearing about the virus, they believe this isn’t the time to let your guard down.
"So we're definitely seeing spread of COVID 19 in the community along with other respiratory viruses," said Dr. Jonathan Miller, Chief of Primary Care Pediatrics, Nemours Children’s Health Delaware Valley. "And so it's a little bit challenging to know if you have COVID or if you have something else, but there's been an uptick over the past couple of months of COVID infecting children."
Dr. Miller explains it’s a good idea to still take precautions this holiday season especially if you plan to travel or gather with friends or family.
"My children were traveling, they’re adults so we didn’t get together until Saturday," said Jill Sheridan. "We had our Thanksgiving on Saturday and it is a concern because they were traveling with other family members on mass transportation."
Government offering more free COVID-19 tests for home delivery through the mail
The new release of free COVID-19 nasal swab tests comes ahead of the first winter since the pandemic started that insurers are no longer required to cover the cost of them.
Evockeea Wayenahan rides the bus and still wears her mask as an added layer of protection.
"Because there's still a lot of people coughing and that makes me a little nervous especially when they can't control it," said Wayenahan.
Meanwhile, Jannac Jenkins recently recovered from COVID and was surprised when he tested positive.
"I shouldn't be getting colds like that and I come down with COVID. My body was hurting, nose was stopped up, it felt like I had an ear infection," said Jenkins.
According to Dr. Miller, these symptoms being similar to other respiratory illnesses is why testing is still important.
"I'm definitely still recommending all of my patients go ahead and get their COVID vaccine now and get their flu vaccine now because we're entering the winter and, and it is time that you can prevent those things," said Dr. Miller.