Philadelphia Health Commissioner Says We Have To 'Learn To Live With' COVID-19 As Cases Continue To Rise In City, Nation

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- We have to learn to live with the virus. That's the message from Philadelphia Health Commissioner Dr. Thomas Farley. This comes as cases continue to increase across the state, in the city and surrounding counties.

Compared to many other locations where COVID-19 is surging, Philadelphia is doing OK. But cases are inching up and there are concerns about a delay in testing results.

So it's unclear if we have an accurate view of what's really happening with the virus.

"We've seen a modest increase in case counts in Philadelphia," Dr. Farley said Tuesday.

He also says most cases of COVID-19 continue to be mild and many people are asymptotic, which is why it's easily spread.

"The epidemic is not over, the virus is still here and may be growing here in Philadelphia. We're going to have to learn how to live with it and how to manage it," said Dr. Farley.

He also says that means continuing to restrict high-risk activities like indoor dining in Philadelphia, and for locations that are allowed to open, there are requirements for social distancing and masks.

But if numbers continue to increase, adjustments might be necessary.

"We may have cycles of opening and closing as the epidemic changes around us," said Dr. Farley.

Testing delays from LabCorp and Quest are still a problem and the city is looking to find other testing resources.

On average, 2,500 tests are being done a day in Philadelphia. The goal is to get that up to 5,000 a day.

"The percent of those tests that were positive has also increased. It was 5.5% last week and the week before it was 5.1%," Dr. Farley said.

Younger people continue to account for many of the new cases.

Dr. Farley also noted the virus is increasing in Bucks and Delaware Counties and in Pittsburgh, like in other places where people are allowed inside bars and restaurants.

"Those are sites that clearly have seen the spread of the virus, as well as outbreaks in other cities around the country. In fact, they may have been the driving factor behind the major epidemic that are occurring now," he said.

Dr. Farley also said he hopes to be able to open schools in Philadelphia as planned. But that will depend on the virus and he's recommending against competitive sports where students interact closely.