Philadelphia, PA

The Philly Four: COVID keeps schools remote, slams Pa. healthcare system

Sam Britt

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Sam Britt/ News Break

Welcome to The Philly Four, a daily recap of four of the top stories from the Philadelphia area, covering everything from local government to the Phillies bullpen. A one-stop shop for the most important news bites in the City of Brotherly Love.

Eagles rest starters prior to date with familiar foe in Wild Card Round

  • The Dallas Cowboys made quick work of the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday in a meaningless matchup prior to the playoffs. The Eagles rested starting quarterback Jalen Hurts along with other key starters in preparation for the team's matchup with the reigning Super Bowl champs, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Bucs are led by Tom Brady, who is very familiar with facing the Eagles in the playoffs, losing his last matchup with the Birds in Super Bowl LII.

Schools continue remote learning amid COVID surge

  • The School District of Philadelphia announced that 91 schools would utilize remote learning for a second straight week due to COVID-19 numbers. The district stated that despite 85% of their staff being vaccinated it is still dealing with shortages. Grab-and-go meals are available for students at 24 sites around the city.

What to do with positive at-home COVID test

  • So you have taken an at-home rapid COVID-19 test and tested positive, besides isolating for five days or until your symptoms wane, what should you do with the test? Should you report it to the health department? In Philadelphia, that is not the case. The Department of Public Health said the logistics of creating a database of private health information would be too cumbersome and the department already has underestimated averages they use to make decisions.

Pa. putting together strike teams of healthcare workers to combat COVID spread

  • Pennsylvania is attempting to stem the tide of the most recent COVID-19 peak by adding to the number of open hospital beds and putting together strike teams of available health care workers to plug staffing shortages in hospitals. Dr. Tony Aquilina, the chief physician executive at WellSpan Health, said that 40% of the group's 1,200 beds are taken up by COVID-19 cases, causing extreme stress on the healthcare system.

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# COVID# Hospital# COVID test# Eagles# Remote learning

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Journalist covering all Philadelphia area news, from last Sunday's Eagles game to the latest from City Hall. For weekly recaps of the news you missed please check out the Philly JAWN newsletter, available at https://newsletter.newsbreakapp.com/

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