Teghan Simonton stories, Page 4
UPMC doctors recommend antibody treatment early for covid patients
UPMC officials on Friday came together to make a concerted push for monoclonal antibody treatment for covid-19, strongly encouraging covid-positive individuals who are most at risk for hospitalization and death to ask for the treatment. Dr. Erin McCreary, an infectious disease pharmacist, described monoclonal antibodies as “copies of antibodies that...
Vaccine eligibility expanded at Allegheny County sites
The Allegheny County Health Department once again is expanding vaccine eligibility at county-run sites, effective immediately, to everyone in Phase 1A. The department had been vaccinating people 65 and older until last Friday, when eligibility was expanded to include people 50-64 with certain medical conditions. This marks the second eligibility...
Allegheny County to launch new vaccine registration system next weekVideo
Allegheny County will launch a new vaccine registration system next week, officials announced Wednesday. The system will allow residents to register for a covid-19 vaccine, receive notifications when they become eligible and prevent those who are ineligible from making appointments in the meantime. The system will reduce the number of...
More than 100,000 educators in Pa. vaccinated through state initiative
More than 100,000 educators have been vaccinated through a Pennsylvania initiative using the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, state officials announced Tuesday. A total of 102,161 school teachers and staff have gotten the vaccine since the initiative got started across Pennsylvania. “Vaccinating more than 100,000 teachers and staff in less than...
Leechburg firefighters holding more food-truck events to offset fundraising losses during pandemic
The Leechburg Volunteer Fire Company is planning a summer full of events to raise money to support its operations. The fire department hosted two Rally on the River food truck events in 2020 as it grappled with the challenge of fundraising during the pandemic, when most in-person events were off...
Officials investigating after Penn Hills man is badly burned in fire
Police are investigating the cause of a fire after a Penn Hills man was taken to Mercy Hospital with severe burns. Penn Hills fire Chief Joe McMeekin told Trib news partner WPXI the fire does not appear to be an accident. WPXI reported McMeekan said it appeared the man had...
Speakers discuss discrimination, violence and stereotypes at vigil for Atlanta victims
A large crowd gathered Sunday night on the portico of the City-County Building in Downtown Pittsburgh for a candlelight vigil remembering the victims of recent shootings around Atlanta. Eight people were killed in the March 16 shooting spree, six of whom were Asian American women. Police say the gunman had...
Traffic delayed after 2 water main breaks in Peters Township
Peters Township Police issued traffic warnings Sunday after two water main breaks in the area. There was a large break in the 100 block of East McMurray Road on Sunday morning, creating a fountain of water that reached over the power lines above. In a Facebook post, police said people...
Plan for updating Leechburg Area football field tabled at council meeting
The future of a new stormwater drainage system for Leechburg Area School District is uncertain after council tabled approval for the project until their April meeting. The district began discussing upgrades to the Veterans’ Field Sports Complex more than a year ago, including replacing the existing grass with synthetic turf,...
PennDOT to close 86-mile stretch of Turnpike overnight Saturday
An 86-mile stretch of the Pennsylvania Turnpike will be closed in both directions late Saturday night into early Sunday morning, because of construction. Between 11 p.m. Saturday and 6 a.m. Sunday, construction crews will be working to remove the Country Ridge Road bridge, which carries traffic over the turnpike in...
Vaccine eligibility to expand in Allegheny County, but on certain conditionsVideo
The Allegheny County Health Department will expand eligibility for its vaccine distribution — starting Friday — to include people 50 and older who have certain health conditions. Up to this point, the department has only been vaccinating people 65 and older, citing vaccine supply constraints. Dr. Debra Bogen, the county’s...
In a first for UPMC, this drive-thru clinic treated 500 vaccine seekers eager to roll up their sleeves
Five hundred people got their first dose of the Moderna vaccine at the launch of a drive-thru clinic Wednesday at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex in Cranberry. The hospital system is partnering with the Pittsburgh Penguins to continue a covid-19 community vaccination event series. On Monday, the two teamed up...
Pa. health official says all Phase 1A appointments should be scheduled by March 31
Vaccine providers across the state should have all appointments for people in Phase 1A scheduled by the end of the month, Acting Secretary of Health Alison Beam said in a new order Monday. The order amends a previous one from February, adding a subsection requiring providers to “use best efforts”...
Kane Community Living Centers resume visitation
The Kane Community Living Centers in Allegheny County will resume family visitations for patients, Director Dennis Biondo announced Monday. Visitation has been restricted since early in the pandemic. But, last week, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services released updated guidance for nursing home visitation, prompting many states and individual...
Shamrock Shuffle raises nearly $15K in West Leechburg
The nonprofit Semper Gratus raised nearly $15,000 at Saturday’s Shamrock Shuffle in West Leechburg, and a portion of the proceeds will go to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. The 5K race/one-mile walk returned this year after being canceled in 2020 because of covid safety concerns. The event was adjusted with...
La Roche University plans in-person classes in fall
La Roche University will fully reopen for in-person instruction in the fall, leaders announced Monday. The semester will start Aug. 23. The university will follow a regular schedule — unlike last fall, when many campuses adjusted breaks and course scheduling in attempts to avoid major covid-19 surges around the holidays...
Giant Eagle clinic at Heinz Field extended, open to more teachers
Giant Eagle’s mass vaccination clinic at Heinz Field was again extended, this time for all PreK-12 teachers in Western Pennsylvania. The chain will be holding clinic hours, by appointment, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday and Tuesday, and between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday. As with...
It’s been a year. When will the pandemic end?
It’s not likely covid-19 will be completely eradicated, at least not any time soon. That would be the best case scenario, said Dr. Graham Snyder, medical director of Infection Prevention and Hospital Epidemiology at UPMC. The worst case would be that the virus continually evolves to become more deadly and...
More than half of Pittsburgh Public Schools employees receive covid vaccines
More than half of the Pittsburgh Public Schools’ teachers and staff will be at least partially vaccinated by the end of this weekend, following a series of clinics that started this week, district officials said. “This is the end of a pretty fantastic week,” Superintendent Anthony Hamlet said Friday. Rodney...
Gilpin supervisors look to update burning ordinance
Gilpin Township is considering changes to its decades-old burning ordinance. The updated ordinance, to be voted on next month, would allow residents more leeway when burning on their property. Supervisor Charles Stull said at a meeting this week that the township’s original ordinance was passed in 1997, and contains several...
Leechburg’s former Siberian Iron Works 1 of 23 sites in Pa. receiving new historic markers
A site in Leechburg is one of 23 across the state receiving new historical markers from the Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission. The site of the former Siberian Iron Works will soon receive the familiar blue sign with gold lettering that marks 2,300 historical sites across Pennsylvania. “For Leechburg, it...
More than 6,500 Pa. teachers, school staff vaccinated through state initiative so far
Pennsylvania officials on Friday reported that more than 6,500 teachers and school staff have received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine this week, through the state’s initiative to inoculate educators. Twenty out of 28 intermediate units are now fully operational as vaccine clinics, with the rest of the units set to...
Police investigate after swastika drawings found in Mt. Lebanon school
An investigation is underway after two swastika images were found inside a bathroom stall in Jefferson Middle School in the Mt. Lebanon School District. Principal Sarah Shaw sent a letter to families Tuesday alerting them to the second drawing. The first drawing had been found March 2, and an investigation...
Classes at Leechburg Area Junior/Senior High School to be taught online Thursday, Friday due to covid
Classes at Leechburg Area Junior/Senior High School will be taught online Thursday and Friday after several cases of covid-19 were reported. However, elementary school students will continue to be taught in school, as will students attending Lenape Technical School. School buses will follow their normal schedule. Classes for grades six...
Allegheny officials ask residents to refrain from large St. Patrick’s Day gatheringsVideo
Allegheny County officials encouraged residents to forgo large gatherings this weekend — the time typically defined by St. Patrick’s Day celebrations throughout Pittsburgh and the county. The St. Patrick’s Day Parade was canceled for the second year to prevent covid-19 transmission. Still, last year, before tighter restrictions had been placed,...
