Coronavirus category, Page 159
Allegheny County reports 215 new coronavirus cases, 1 new death
Allegheny County Health officials reported 215 new covid-19 cases Saturday and one new death. The death total now stands at 198. The latest numbers reflect 1,953 tests spanning from July 1 to July 10 — an 11% infection rate of those who were tested. Allegheny County now has seen 4,762...
Foreign students weigh studying in person vs. losing visas
PHOENIX — International students worried about a new immigration policy that could potentially cost them their visas say they feel stuck between being unnecessarily exposed during the coronavirus pandemic and being able to finish their studies in America. Students from countries as diverse as India, China and Brazil told The...
Pandemic, racism compound worries about Black suicide rate
CHICAGO — Jasmin Pierre was 18 when she tried to end her life, overdosing on whatever pills she could find. Diagnosed with depression and anxiety, she survived two more attempts at suicide, which felt like the only way to stop her pain. Years of therapy brought progress, but the 31-year-old...
Franklin Regional looks to unify online learning with Schoology system
Google Classroom and a patchwork of other educational tools helped Franklin Regional staff and students through the final months of a hectic school year. But district administrators are looking to bring all of those tools into the same shed for students who may be learning from home in the coming...
Irwin business owner perseveres pandemic shutdowns to add Dog spot to her Cat shop
Chrys Sebula knew exactly how she wanted her new store to look. She planned to set up her hand-painted glassware and slate pieces around an empty Irwin storefront that would be connected to Curious Cat, her longtime Main Street country market, gift and craft shop. Sebula aimed for an April...
Trump undercuts health experts — again — in schools debate
WASHINGTON — The White House seating chart spoke volumes. When the president convened a roundtable this week on how to safely reopen schools with coronavirus cases rising, the seats surrounding him were filled with parents, teachers and top White House officials, including the first and second ladies. But the head...
Parents sue Kennywood, Sandcastle, Idlewild over mask requirements
The parents of four children with medical conditions are suing Kennywood, Sandcastle Waterpark and Idlewild & SoakZone, contending their ownership violated federal law and Pennsylvania Health Department coronavirus orders by requiring all patrons to wear face masks. The federal lawsuit contends that Palace Entertainment, parent company of the parks, has...
Unions cancel Pittsburgh’s annual Labor Day Parade
The coronavirus pandemic has torpedoed Pittsburgh’s annual Labor Day Parade. Officials on Friday announced that the parade held for decades in Downtown Pittsburgh would be replaced with volunteer community service programs conducted by union members throughout Labor Day weekend and a major blood drive and food giveaway on Labor Day....
Franklin Regional athletic director: Prepping for fall sports ‘an uphill battle’
A meeting is planned next week between regional and state high school sports officials and athletic directors “to discuss possible alternatives, like moving fall sports to the spring season and thinking outside the box in ways we haven’t before,” Franklin Regional Athletics Director Zach Kessler said. Kessler called the challenges...
Pa. reports more than 1,000 new covid-19 cases for 1st time since May 10
For the first time since May 10, the Pennsylvania Department of Health on Friday reported more than 1,000 new cases of covid-19. There were 1,009 new cases and 32 new deaths from covid-19 reported Friday, bringing the totals to 93,876 cases and 6,880 deaths statewide. On May 10, there were...
Bats with covid-19? Pennsylvania researchers are trying to find out
The University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine is studying if covid-19 has been contracted by local bats who are recovering from white-nose syndrome, a deadly fungus that has been decimating populations. If the state’s fragile but recovering bat population contracts covid-19, it could create another stressor for the night...
35 new covid-19 cases reported in Westmoreland County
The Pennsylvania Department of Health on Friday reported 35 new covid-19 cases and no new deaths in Westmoreland County. The numbers bring the countywide case total to 952 and death total to 39. That includes 26 probable cases. Probable cases are “patients who have a positive serology test and either...
Franklin Regional school board approves reopening, health-and-safety plans
Franklin Regional school board members have a plan for reopening school in the fall with proper health and safety measures in place. “We see this as our starting point,” said Jennifer DiFulvio, special services supervisor. “Now that we have this plan, we need to figure out as an administrative team...
Allegheny County reports 180 new coronavirus cases, 1 new death
Allegheny County health officials reported 180 new covid-19 cases, one additional death and seven more hospitalizations on Friday. The date for the newest reported death is July 2. New covid-19 case numbers have been fluctuating since the county experienced a record-setting 233 cases last Thursday, followed by 177 cases on...
Luke Popovich: Pandemic, politics threaten Marcellus jobs
To the seriously stricken airline, hospitality and tourism industries felled by covid-19, add Pennsylvania’s less visible but equally vital oil and gas industry. The viral plague that has slashed economic growth has crippled demand for fossil energy. From Texas oil wells to shale fields in Pennsylvania, producers are facing what...
Here’s how to interpret daily covid-19 case counts
As coronavirus cases mount in Allegheny and surrounding counties, questions often arise about how the data should be interpreted. Viewed without context, the numbers can lead to some misconceptions. Allegheny County health officials reported 158 new cases Thursday, for instance, along with 12 hospitalizations — but those infections didn’t happen...
Mississippi seeing big coronavirus outbreak in state legislatureVideo
JACKSON, Miss. — Packed elevators and crowded committee rooms. Legislators sitting shoulder-to-shoulder on the House and Senate floor. People standing close to each other and talking, sometimes leaning in to whisper, without a mask in sight. Those were common scenes at the Mississippi Capitol in June — a month that...
Florida reports highest single-day jump in covid-19 deathsVideo
TALLAHASSEE — Health authorities in Florida reported 120 new deaths from the new coronavirus on Thursday, grimly marking the highest one-day jump yet amid a surge in new infections that continues to befuddle the state’s attempts to contain the outbreak. The number of deaths was the highest since the 113...
Don’t want to mask up? Try a face shield
It’s become the mantra of government leaders and health officials and it’s a flash point for others who refuse to abide by it: Wear a mask. Now, there is an alternative to the face masks that have become a part of life in the age of the coronavirus pandemic: A...
WHO: Indoor airborne spread of coronavirus possible
LONDON — The World Health Organization is acknowledging the possibility that covid-19 might be spread in the air under certain conditions — after more than 200 scientists urged the agency to do so. In an open letter published this week in a journal, two scientists from Australia and the U.S....
CDC: No rewriting of guidelines for reopening schoolsVideo
WASHINGTON — Despite President Donald Trump’s sharp criticism, federal guidelines for reopening schools are not being revised, the head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Thursday. Dr. Robert Redfield said the agency would be issuing “additional reference documents” for parents and schools to facilitate the reopening and...
Pittsburgh controller says coronavirus losses are significant, but manageable
Pittsburgh Controller Michael Lamb predicted the coronavirus pandemic would cost the city $60 million in revenue losses this year, but said the financial outlook isn’t as bleak as it originally seemed. Lamb on Thursday released his Popular Annual Financial Report for 2019, a summary version of the Comprehensive Annual Financial...
Ban on evictions, foreclosures in Pa. extended until Aug. 31
Gov. Tom Wolf on Thursday extended a moratorium on evictions amid the covid-19 pandemic until Aug. 31, protecting renters and homeowners who are unable to pay their rent or mortgage from losing their homes. Wolf originally signed an executive order pausing evictions earlier this year as millions of Pennsylvanians lost...
UPMC doctors say latest coronavirus cases less severe in Western Pa.
The surge in covid-19 cases in Southwestern Pennsylvania is infecting a younger, less vulnerable demographic, and thus far the most recent cases appear to be less severe, doctors at UPMC said Thursday. The latest cases are mainly linked to younger people who contracted covid-19 after traveling out-of-state or while socializing,...
Pennsylvania offers $10M in grant funding for food retailers affected by pandemic
Pennsylvania businesses working to maintain access to fresh, healthy food during the covid-19 pandemic are eligible for grants from $10 million in CARES Act funding, Gov. Tom Wolf announced Thursday. The Fresh Food Financing Initiative Covid-19 Relief Fund is available to food-centered organizations and businesses impacted by the pandemic, including...
