Coronavirus category, Page 140
Indoor air purification systems play supporting role in covid-19 prevention measures
A mask mandate, a no-smoking policy and a suspension of indoor dining were among the measures Rivers Casino on Pittsburgh’s North Shore took to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus when it reopened in early July. That same week, the World Health Organization acknowledged airborne transmission of the virus, particularly...
Westmoreland County reports 18 new coronavirus cases
Westmoreland County had 18 new cases of covid-19 Friday, according to the state Department of Health. The county’s total cases are now 1,696 with 1,643 confirmed and 53 probable. The seven-day average for the county is 15 cases. Westmoreland has reported 287 coronavirus cases so far in August. Westmoreland County...
Pennsylvania reports 693 new coronavirus cases, 20 new deaths
Pennsylvania on Friday reported an additional 693 cases of covid-19, bringing total cases to 127,633, according to the state Department of Health. The seven-day average has dropped to 669 cases, its lowest since July 6. The state is reporting 510 patients currently hospitalized, 93 of which are on ventilators. Pa....
Irwin restaurant opens amid pandemic; state restrictions hurt eateriesVideo
Candy Zambo says it was just her luck that she tried to open a restaurant in downtown Irwin in midst of a pandemic. “I’ve wanted to do this. I’ve always loved the restaurant industry,” Zambo said, undeterred by the circumstances surrounding the opening of Candy’s Corner Cafe at 435 Main...
Allegheny County’s 7-day average of coronavirus cases drops to lowest since June
Allegheny County’s seven-day average of new covid-19 cases on Friday dropped to 68 as 80 new instances were reported. It’s the lowest average recorded since late June. The seven-day average peaked at 206 on July 17 and has been steadily dropping. The county’s total cases are now 9,756. Of those,...
Students, faculty virtually celebrate Pitt’s 100th Lantern Night
It’s one of the oldest traditions on the University of Pittsburgh campus. Each year for the past century, freshman women have gathered on the eve of the first day of fall classes for Lantern Night, when alumnae symbolically pass the Light of Learning on to the next generation of Pitt...
RK Mellon Foundation allocates more than $2.5 million in grants to Pa. universities
The Richard King Mellon Foundation recently allocated more than $2.5 million in grants to 12 regional colleges and universities. The grants can be used for a variety of expenses to address the covid-19 pandemic, including ensuring testing for students and staff, personal protective equipment, health care costs, enhanced virtual learning...
Big Burrito Restaurant Group reopens some locations
Chef Bill Fuller, president of Big Burrito Restaurant Group, has reopened restaurants Kaya, Soba and Umi. The nine Mad Mex locations in the region have stayed open during the pandemic, Fuller said Thursday, because of the Mar-GO-ritas, takeout and outdoor dining. The restaurants Alta Via and Casbah might open soon...
Pittsburgh tech company adds ultraviolet disinfection robots to its portfolioVideo
Most people think of ultraviolet light as the main reason for wearing sunscreen. Chris Proud, CEO at Safe Space Technologies in Pittsburgh, sees it as another weapon in the battle against the coronavirus. Safe Spaces’ parent company, Miller Process, focuses on collaborative robots, networking services and automation for a variety...
Kennywood, Idlewild, Sandcastle announce closing dates
Years ago, Labor Day always marked the final day of the season for Kennywood. The park is going back to that time. On Labor Day, Sept. 7, Kennywood will close until spring. “With so much uncertainty with covid-19 and schools going back in session we decided to end the season...
New federal guidance may exempt covid-exposed teachers from quarantine
ATLANTA — New guidance from President Donald Trump’s administration that declares teachers to be “critical infrastructure workers” could exempt teachers from quarantine requirements after being exposed to the coronavirus and send them back into the classroom. Keeping teachers without symptoms in the classroom, as a handful of school districts in...
Pennsylvania adds 791 new covid-19 cases, 15 new deaths to total
Pennsylvania reported 791 more coronavirus cases as of Thursday, according to the state Department of Health. There were also 15 new deaths from covid-19 reported in the state. Two of the past three days have seen case increases of 700 or more, with 791 new cases Thursday and 735 new...
Westmoreland County posts 2nd largest covid-19 case increase of August
Westmoreland County added 20 new coronavirus cases Thursday, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health. The new covid-19 cases, 18 confirmed and two probable, represent the second largest case increase in August. The largest increase this month came Aug. 8, when 23 cases were reported. As of Thursday, 96% of...
Allegheny County posts covid-19 case increase in triple digits
Coronavirus cases in the triple digits were reported Thursday in Allegheny County, a day after the county had its lowest number of new covid-19 cases in almost two months. The death toll in the county grew Thursday, as well, with one new death reported. There were 100 new cases reported...
Airbnb bans house parties worldwide, citing virus mandates
Airbnb is banning house parties worldwide as it tries to clean up its reputation and comply with coronavirus-related limits on gatherings. The San Francisco home sharing company will limit occupancy in its rental homes to 16 people. It may offer exceptions for boutique hotels or other event venues. Airbnb said...
Pandemic fear: Church to apologize for funeral refusal
Noel Alexander had helped build Pine Hill Baptist Church in west-central Louisiana. He’d been its music minister, served on numerous committees and he and his wife kept the church’s books. After he died from covid-19 at age 79, his visitation and funeral were scheduled for the church he loved. But...
Allegheny County dealing with backlog of covid-19 hospitalization data
The Allegheny County Health Department is catching up on covid-19 hospitalization data that accumulated in the month of July. At a Wednesday news conference, Health Director Dr. Debra Bogen explained why this week, the county dashboard stopped providing daily counts of the number of past and present hospitalizations. During the...
Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh offers program for children during remote learning
Heather and Paul Cunningham have 6-year-old twins, Jackson and Julie, going into first grade. The couple work full time and their children’s school, Minadeo in the Pittsburgh Public Schools, will be online for at least the first nine weeks of the school year. They spent the final months of kindergarten...
Iowa governor’s push to reopen schools descends into chaos
IOWA CITY, Iowa — An aggressive push by Iowa’s pro-Trump governor to reopen schools amid a worsening coronavirus outbreak has descended into chaos, with some districts and teachers rebelling and experts calling the scientific benchmarks used by the state arbitrary and unsafe. The clash in the Midwest has illustrated in...
Duquesne University freshmen move into dorms with adjusted schedule
Duquesne University hosted its freshman move-in over three days early this week. Normally a one-day affair, the university instead assigned time slots to the approximately 1,200 freshmen and transfer students to prevent crowding in the hallways. “Given the current situation, we just didn’t feel that was safe,” said Adam Wasilko,...
Professors question Penn State reopening as study projects problems
A faculty group at Penn State says the university’s plan to reopen its University Park campus could culminate in thousands of cases of covid-19 and quickly overwhelm its capacity for quarantine. As students began to move into dorms this week, the Coalition for a Just University at Penn State released...
Westmoreland County adds 18 new coronavirus cases, 1 new death
Westmoreland County added 18 new coronavirus cases and one death, according to data from the Pennsylvania Health Department. The new positive cases bring the county’s total to 1,658, with 1,608 confirmed and 50 probable. There have been 49 deaths in the county, with three in August. State data shows that...
Pennsylvania adds 570 coronavirus cases to its total
The Pennsylvania Department of Health added 570 positive covid-19 cases and 24 deaths on Wednesday. The new cases bring the state’s total to 126,149. The health department added 24 deaths to its totals, with 21 from August, two from July and one from April. The state’s death total now sits...
Allegheny County reports just 27 new coronavirus cases
Allegheny County on Wednesday reported its lowest number of new coronavirus cases in almost two months. Just 27 positive cases were added in the latest data released by the Allegheny County Health Department, the lowest since 19 were reported on June 23. The new cases bring the county’s total to...
WHO walks back advice to delay routine dental work, blames mediaVideo
When the World Health Organization in early August advised people to postpone routine dental work during the pandemic, Pittsburgh oral surgeon Dr. Eric Smiga was livid. “I was shocked, quite frankly. I thought it was a sad commentary from the WHO without any scientific basis,” Smiga said. “The Centers for...
