The felling of indoor dining in Philadelphia because of surging COVID-19 infections has owners of bars and restaurants panicked about their survival. A coalition of 250 owners and chefs signed an open letter to the city asking for a seat at the table as decisions are made. NBC10’s Tracy Davidson spoke with Nicole Marquis, owner of HipCityVeg, and member of Save Philly Restaurants.
There were 7,126 new COVID-19 cases in Pennsylvania announced Thursday, nearly 500 more than the previous single-day record reported two days earlier.
The continuing surge in new cases comes as the state's top health official declared that a coronavirus vaccine could arrive in Pennsylvania by mid-December.
""We could have vaccines in the next month," state Health Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine said, but she added that "we don't know how the supply will meet the demand."
She reiterated to Pennsylvanians that all individuals are crucial to the state's mitigation efforts. Levine asked that people wear a mask at all times in public.
The high new-case count comes days after Philadelphia announced local restrictions on indoor dining as well as the use of fitness centers and public gatherings of more than 10 people.
Nationally, the Centers for Disease Control are urging Americans against traveling for Thanksgiving next week.
Pennsylvania, like much of the rest of the United States, is in the midst of the worst daily case counts for new coronavirus infections of the entire pandemic. The case count reported Thursday was well above the previous record of 6,631 reported on Tuesday.
She added that the 14-day moving average of hospitalizations are up 1,700 since Sept. 31.
More than 55,000 people were tested for the virus on Wendesday, Levine said, and described the state's testing capabilities as "prodigious" and beyond what her team anticipated as possible several months ago.
