Coronavirus category, Page 115
State leaders facing 2nd wave resist steps to curb virus
DES MOINES, Iowa — Even as a long-feared second wave of coronavirus infections strains hospitals, officials in many hard-hit states are resisting taking stronger action to stop the spread, with public fatigue and political calculations running up against pleas from health experts. Days before a presidential election that has spotlighted...
Pennsylvania posts 2nd highest new covid case count, 22 deaths
The Pennsylvania Department of Health posted 2,641 new cases of coronavirus Friday, its second highest tally in a single day. The new cases include 2,416 new one-day positive cases and 225 cases from previous days that were reported Friday, according to the state. With the latest batch, the state’s seven-day...
Westmoreland County surpasses 100 covid-19 deaths
Westmoreland County has now seen more than 100 deaths attributed to the coronavirus since the start of the pandemic in March. The Pennsylvania Department of Health added two new covid-related deaths to the county’s total Friday, making 101 deaths since the first death was announced April 8. The county has...
Allegheny County adds 173 new covid cases, 7 new deaths
Allegheny County announced 173 new cases of covid-19 on Friday, according to the Health Department. Officials said of those new cases, 110 have been confirmed, based on 1,376 PCR tests conducted from Oct. 16-29. There were 63 probable cases, of which 37 came from positive antigen tests. The new cases...
Trump doled out billions to drugmakers and hospitals with few strings attached
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration has pumped billions of dollars into the health care industry during the covid-19 crisis, padding bottom lines at some of the country’s most profitable businesses even as millions of Americans have been left struggling with mounting medical bills. And although taxpayer money has poured into...
Obamacare’s fate in flux, but open enrollment starts soon
Facing a pandemic, record unemployment and unknown future costs for covid-19 treatments, health insurers selling Affordable Care Act plans to individuals reacted by lowering rates in some areas and, overall, issuing only modest premium increases for 2021. “What’s been fascinating is that carriers in general are not projecting much impact...
Coronavirus surge threatens to reverse global economic rebounds
WASHINGTON — The resurgence of coronavirus cases engulfing the United States and Europe is imperiling economic recoveries on both sides of the Atlantic as millions of individuals and businesses face the prospect of having to hunker down once again. Growing fear of an economic reversal coincided with a report Thursday...
‘So frustrating’: Grave missteps seen in U.S. virus response
NEW YORK — A president who downplayed the coronavirus threat, scorned masks and undercut scientists at every turn. Governors who resisted or rolled back containment measures amid public backlash. State lawmakers who used federal COVID-19 aid to plug budget holes instead of beefing up testing and contact tracing. As a...
Home for the holidays: Pa. health secretary urges that gatherings be limited to households
State officials are asking Pennsylvanians to limit holiday gatherings to those within their own households as the resurgence of the coronavirus pandemic continues. Department of Health Secretary Rachel Levine said Thursday there is evidence locally and nationally that such gatherings, large or small, are contributing to an increase in cases...
Westmoreland County reports 6 new coronavirus deaths, 74 new cases
Westmoreland County added six new coronavirus deaths, continuing a streak of 14 days with at least one new death in the county because of the virus. The six deaths are the most in a single day since May. The county saw five deaths on Wednesday and four on Tuesday. There...
Pennsylvania reports more than 2,200 new coronavirus cases, 44 deaths
Pennsylvania has experienced its largest spike in coronavirus cases during October. After reporting 2,202 new cases on Thursday, the state have accumulated 43,909 cases for the month with two days to go. At the start of the pandemic, cases grew quickly with 40,000 cases in April. But September recorded just...
Allegheny County posts 149 new coronavirus cases, 2 deaths
Allegheny County on Thursday reported 149 new coronavirus cases with two new deaths. The county has seen an average of 131 new daily cases over the past seven days, while adding 920 new cases in that time. The county’s total number of cases stands at 15,449 with 10,695 recoveries. According...
Elizabeth Stelle: Despite pandemic challenges, health care improvements are underway
We didn’t need a global pandemic to remind us that our health care system is broken and unaffordable. Countless Pennsylvanians have avoided a doctor visit for fear of unexpected bills. Many have gone months, or even years, without the ability to afford an insurance plan. And some have turned down...
Pine-Richland alum working on team searching for covid-19 vaccine
Kathy Strauss has always pretty good at math and science. But the 1974 Pine-Richland graduate didn’t necessarily envision a career in the medical profession or ever imagine that she would someday work on groundbreaking research in the mission to find a vaccine for the coronavirus. But Strauss, 64, recently was...
Duquesne suspends all Greek Life activity after covid protocol violations
Duquesne University has canceled all fraternity and sorority activity for the rest of the semester after officials said Greek organizations repeatedly violated covid-19 precautions. In a letter to students, Senior Vice President for Student Life Douglas Frizzell said that several Greek organizations had committed “repeated and egregious violations of the...
Coronavirus surge forces Westmoreland schools to decide on in-person, fully remote learning
Under guidelines from the state departments of education and health, school districts in counties with a “substantial” rate of community coronavirus spread are advised to revert to fully remote classes. The decision, however, rests with school districts. The county on Friday marked a second week of “substantial” coronavirus transmission levels...
Space Force’s second-in-command tests positive for covid-19
The second-highest ranking for the recently formed U.S. Space Force has tested positive for covid-19, the U.S. Air Force said late Wednesday in a statement. Air Force spokeswoman Ann Stefanek said the vice chief of space operations, Gen. David Thompson, took the test after learning that a family member with...
Pittsburgh Public Schools extends remote learning for most students until Jan. 4
Some Pittsburgh Public School students will return to face-to-face instruction Monday, Nov. 9 under a phased hybrid approach approved by the school board Wednesday evening. But the majority will stay in remote learning until at least Jan. 4, 2021. Under the school’s new plan, students are broken into four groups,...
Kiski Area School District will remain open, citing low transmission locally
Kiski Area School District will remain open for hybrid in-person instruction, breaking with some other districts in Westmoreland County. The state Department of Education has recommended that Westmoreland County districts move to fully remote instruction to mitigate the spread of coronavirus. For the last two weeks, the county has experienced...
PLCB waives $27.7 million in alcohol licensing fees for businesses
The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board voted 2-1 Wednesday to waive an estimated $27.7 million in license fees for retail businesses most impacted by the pandemic. The decision covers holders of restaurant, retail dispenser, club, catering club and hotel licenses. Gov. Tom Wolf requested the relief last week during a visit...
Allegheny County officials: There is ‘no pattern’ in new cases
Covid-19 cases in Allegheny County are tied to a variety of sources, officials said — but most are tied to individuals conducting everyday business. “I’m asking you all to be careful, especially when you’re around people you know well, like family and friends,” said Health Director Debra Bogen at a...
Lockdowns, business rollbacks threatened amid surging virus
The alarming surge in coronavirus cases in Europe and the U.S. is wiping out months of progress against the scourge on two continents, prompting new business restrictions, raising the threat of another round of large-scale lockdowns and sending a shudder through financial markets. “We are deep in the second wave,”...
Pennsylvania surpasses 200K coronavirus cases
Pennsylvania surpassed 200,000 coronavirus cases Wednesday with its second straight day of more than 2,000 new cases. The state Department of Health reported 2,228 cases, bringing the state total to 200,674. On Tuesday, the state added a record 2,751 cases. According to The Covid Tracking Project, 12 other states have...
Westmoreland County reports 5 new coronavirus deaths, 91 new cases
Westmoreland County added five new coronavirus deaths on Wednesday, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health. The five deaths bring the county’s total to 93 and are the highest single-day total since six deaths were reported on May 18. The county also added 91 new covid-19 cases, bring the case...
Allegheny County reports 2nd-highest new covid-19 case total in nearly 3 months
Allegheny County reported its second-highest daily total of new coronavirus cases in nearly three months Wednesday. The Allegheny County Health Department added 199 new cases (137 confirmed and 62 probable) out of 1,577 PCR tests. Of the probables, 42 are from positive antigen tests. Since August, the county has had...
