Pennsylvania Unveils Nation's First COVID-19 Mobile Response Unit To Help Underserved Communities Hit Hard By Virus
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The road to recovery is looking brighter in Pennsylvania and Philadelphia, with numbers of COVID-19 cases continuing to decline. On Tuesday, the state unveiled new help for minority communities hard hit by the coronavirus.
CATE -- or Community-Accessible Testing & Education -- a mobile COVID-19 testing RV, is coming to the aide of underserved neighborhoods.
While the numbers are improving, officials say COVID-19 is still spreading and we need to continue to take precautions.
Philadelphia has reached its lowest level of COVID-19 since the outbreak started, now with fewer than 100 cases a week, a positivity rate of 3.4%.
"Philadelphia now has lower rates of this infection than Spain or France," said city Health Commissioner Dr. Thomas Farley.
Farley credits mitigation efforts. Retail surveillance cameras show 88% of those viewed were wearing masks.
"It's mainly spread right now in Philadelphia among household members, relatives and among social gatherings," said Dr. Farley.
To reduce spread among close connections, people who are medically vulnerable are being advised to wear masks even inside their homes if they're around people who've been interacting with others.
"The lesson is, the people you trust the most are the ones you're most likely to catch the infection from," said Dr. Farley.
Contact tracing from the state reveals other potential exposure locations.
Some people said they attended large events prior to developing symptoms -- 50% say they were at restaurants before knowing they had COVID; 23% were at other businesses; 17% went to bars; 12% visited salons and barbershops; and 8% said they'd been to a gym or fitness center.
"Minority and underserved communities have been hit the hardest by COVID-19," said Pennsylvania Health Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine.
Aiming to better serve minorities, Pennsylvania rolled out the nation's first COVID-19 Mobile Response Unit to provide testing and education in underserved neighborhoods.
"Bringing testing to communities that otherwise would not receive it is a way we continue the fight against this dangerous virus," said Dr. Levine.
The RV is called CATE and she will make stops across the state, including several locations in Philadelphia and the surrounding counties.
Those interested in visiting CATE can find the tour stop schedule listed on the website at www.CATEmobileunit.com or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/CATEmobileunit. Services are available on a first-come, first-serve basis. Social distancing and masking guidelines and will be followed at all times.
