Coronavirus category, Page 187
Allegheny County reports 13 coronavirus cases, 2 deaths
Allegheny County reported 13 more covid-19 cases and two deaths Saturday. The new figures bring the total number of coronavirus cases in the county to 1,595 and total deaths to 143. Of the reported coronavirus cases in the county, 59% of them have been 50 years or older. Those who...
Virus rules tighten illegal immigration on northern border
Five Mexican citizens apprehended this week after illegally entering the United States in remote northern Maine were returned to Canada within hours under a rule put into place as part of the U.S. government response to the COVID-19 pandemic. A similar policy by the Canadian government allows the return to...
Pittsburgh hospital flyover to salute those on front line of covid-19 pandemic
The Pennsylvania Air National Guard is planning a flyover of several Pittsburgh-area hospitals Tuesday afternoon in honor of covid-19 front-line responders. Two aircraft, piloted by airmen from the 171st Air Refueling Wing at Pittsburgh International Airport and the 193rd Special Operations Wing at Middletown, are slated to appear in formation...
Remote learning at The Neighborhood Academy in Pittsburgh a seamless transition
Most days of the week, Page Hempfield tunes in for an advising appointment at 9 a.m. on Zoom. She and other students are able to check in, ask questions and get updates about homework and about their school, The Neighborhood Academy. Then, in her bedroom of her North Versailles home,...
Judge orders Los Angeles to move thousands of homeless
LOS ANGELES — The city of Los Angeles and LA County must find shelter for thousands of homeless people who are living near freeways, a federal judge ordered Friday, saying their health is at risk from pollution, earthquakes and the coronavirus. U.S. District Court Judge David O. Carter issued a...
Alaska lawmaker likens virus screening stickers to Star of David
JUNEAU, Alaska — An Alaska lawmaker on Friday defended asking whether stickers that individuals may be asked to wear as part of a Capitol coronavirus screening process will be “available as a yellow Star of David.” Republican Rep. Ben Carpenter of Nikiski said he was serious in making the comment...
‘Pretty unprecedented’: NYC’s blood supply dangerously low, possibly at 2-day supply
NEW YORK — The Big Apple is running out of blood. The blood bank that supplies all of New York City’s public hospitals — as well as nearly 200 private hospitals throughout the state and in parts of New Jersey — is stocked with only enough donations to last the...
Man paroled over coronavirus concerns charged in slaying
DENVER — A parolee suspected of killing a woman in Denver had been released from prison three weeks before the slaying because of concerns over the coronavirus. Cornelius Haney, 40, was released April 15 under powers granted to the Colorado Department of Corrections by Gov. Jared Polis, The Denver Post...
R. Kelly again denied release from federal jail after raising COVID-19 concerns
CHICAGO — A federal judge in New York has once again rejected R. Kelly’s request for release pending trial, stating that his diagnosis of prediabetes is not enough to put him at high risk of contracting COVID-19 behind bars. The embattled singer has been seeing medical professionals in the downtown...
UPMC Shadyside, Altoona among hospitals receiving federal shipment of remdesivir
UPMC Shadyside is among 21 hospitals that will receive shipments of remdesivir, the antiviral medication that FDA officials have authorized for emergency use to treat covid-19 patients. The Department of Health distributed the second shipment of the investigative antiviral medication on Friday: 1,548 doses of medication were sent to 21...
Will Congress help California? Governor’s budget banks on it
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Gov. Gavin Newsom may call California a nation state, but he’s hanging his hopes for avoiding drastic state budget cuts squarely on the federal government. The money may not come easily in a divided Congress, even with two Californians in the top roles in the U.S. House....
Florida governor says 9 of 10 people frustrated by unemployment system made application errors
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Gov. Ron DeSantis said some Floridians waiting on unemployment checks have themselves to blame for not filling out their applications properly. During an exchange with a reporter during a Friday news conference in Jacksonville, DeSantis expressed frustration with news stories that quote Floridians who have been unable...
Homeless tax in Portland, Ore., tests voter mood in pandemic
PORTLAND, Ore. — Voters in metropolitan Portland, Oregon, will be asked Tuesday to approve taxes on personal income and business profits that would raise $2.5 billion over a decade to fight homelessness even as the state grapples with the coronavirus and its worst recession in years. The ballot measure was...
Historically black colleges work to help students amid virus
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Ja’nayla Johnson worked hard in high school with the dream of being the first in her family to graduate from college, but she started to doubt herself as several colleges rejected her. Then Bennett, a small historically black women’s college in North Carolina, saw Johnson’s potential and...
North Huntingdon police won’t cite businesses for violating Gov. Wolf’s orders
North Huntingdon joined other municipalities in directing its police force not to cite or take any legal action local businesses that open in violation of the state’s coronavirus-related shutdown orders — as long as they follow the Centers for Disease Control guidelines for wearing personal protective equipment, keep social distancing...
Shoppers enjoy spring day as region moves into yellow phase, some businesses reopenVideo
Some restrictions lifted across Western Pennsylvania on Friday, and people wasted little time getting back to life a little closer to normal — but still coronavirus-style. Patricia Slifkey said she felt free as she browsed rows of antiques and knickknacks at Miller’s Crossing Fleatique in Irwin. “It’s good to get...
Visitors to Pittsburgh International Airport required to wear masks
Visitors to Pittsburgh International Airport will be required to wear masks or face coverings on all public airport property starting next week, Allegheny County Airport Authority officials announced Friday. The requirement is part of a new “PIT Safe Travels” initiative and also applies to Allegheny County Airport in West Mifflin....
FDA probes accuracy issue with Abbott’s rapid virus test
WASHINGTON — Federal health officials are alerting doctors to a potential accuracy problem with a rapid test for covid-19 used at thousands of hospitals, clinics and testing sites across the U.S., including the White House. The Food and Drug Administration said late Thursday it is investigating preliminary data suggesting Abbott...
Westmoreland County Housing Authority confirms 1st covid-19 case at Parnassus Manor
A resident of Parnassus Manor in New Kensington has tested positive for covid-19, Westmoreland County Housing Authority Executive Director Michael Washowich said Friday. The resident, who is not being identified because of privacy laws, notified the authority Thursday. The authority alerted residents of the high-rise the same day, he said....
As restrictions loosen in Pennsylvania, health officials gear up for increased contact tracing
Contact tracing has been done on infectious diseases for years, but it arguably has never been more discussed or under as much scrutiny as it is now as the world grapples with the coronavirus pandemic and tries to reclaim some amount of normalcy. Pennsylvania officials have identified the simple yet...
‘We are desperate’: French hospital staff confront Macron
PARIS — French nurses and doctors faced off with President Emmanuel Macron at a leading Paris hospital Friday, demanding better pay and a rethink of a once-renowned public health system that found itself quickly overwhelmed by tens of thousands of virus patients. “We are desperate. We no longer believe in...
Westmoreland reports 1 new coronavirus case, no more deaths
State health officials reported one new coronavirus case in Westmoreland County on Friday as hundreds of new cases pushed the statewide total past 60,000. The one new case brings the county’s running case count to 423. The death toll has stood at 32 since last week. Statewide, officials added 124...
Mayor: NYPD won’t break up small groups, police masks
NEW YORK — The New York Police Department, criticized over instances of harsh social distancing enforcement, will step back from ticketing people for gathering in small clusters or for failing to wear a mask, Mayor Bill de Blasio said Friday. The police will continue to disperse large gatherings that are...
U.S. interior secretary helps to reopen Flight 93 memorial as part of phased restartVideo
Five national park sites in Southwestern Pennsylvania are open to visitors after being closed since March 20 because of the coronavirus pandemic. U.S. Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt joined Superintendent Stephen Clark Friday morning to open the gates at the Flight 93 National Memorial in Somerset County. “We’ve been...
Dems push $3T coronavirus relief bill toward House vote
WASHINGTON — Democrats began pushing Congress’ biggest coronavirus relief bill yet toward expected House passage Friday, a $3 trillion behemoth they said a beleaguered country badly needs but that Republicans called a bloated election-year wish list. Democratic leaders were pressing ahead despite grumbling from party moderates leery of the measure’s...
