Coronavirus category, Page 228
Gov. Wolf approves release of up to 1,800 inmates amid coronavirus concerns
Up to 1,800 Pennsylvania prison inmates scheduled for release in the next year could be temporarily released as part of a plan to reduce the spread of coronavirus, Gov. Tom Wolf said Friday. Eligible inmates could start being released to home confinement or community facilities as early as Tuesday, according...
Analysis: Coronavirus shows benefit of learning from other nations
In 1910, when a contagious pneumonic plague was ravaging northeastern China, a physician there concluded that the disease traveled through the air. So he adapted something he had seen in England. He began instructing doctors, nurses, patients and members of the public to wear gauze masks. That pioneering of masks...
Answering the Call: Pittsburgh nurse volunteered to work in coronavirus spaceVideo
Jessi Showalter is a nurse at Allegheny Health Network’s West Penn Hospital who volunteered to work in the covid-19 space there. What compelled her to volunteer in the space and take on the risks that go with it? That’s one of the questions Showalter addressed in a video interview with...
Pennsylvania reports 78 more coronavirus deaths as total case count nears 20,000Video
Seventy-eight new coronavirus-related deaths were reported to the Pennsylvania Department of Health throughout the day Thursday to bring the state’s death toll to 416, according to state health officials. The total coronavirus case count is approaching 20,000, the data show. The state saw three days this week where new deaths...
Potential coronavirus drugs may cost as little as $1, study saysVideo
Potential coronavirus treatments could be made for as little as $1, well below their typical price tags in pharmacies, according to an analysis of nine drugs in clinical trials. If their promise is confirmed in ongoing studies, medicines for covid-19, including hydroxychloroquine, which President Donald Trump touted as a treatment,...
Nurses weigh their principles vs. safety in virus fightVideo
Paramedics rushed another critical covid-19 patient into the emergency room, and Chicago nurse Cynthia Riemer felt her adrenaline kick in. “Your heart starts racing,” she said. “You’re thinking, ‘How quickly and safely can we get them intubated?’ Because if we don’t, in the next five or 10 minutes, they could...
Sean Penn wants to ‘save lives’ with free covid-19 testing
After nearly a decade of helping communities in distress abroad, Sean Penn is joining the fight against the coronavirus much closer to home. The Oscar winner’s disaster relief organization CORE has teamed up with Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti’s office and the city’s fire department to safely distribute free drive-thru...
6 more coronavirus deaths reported in Allegheny County
Six more people in Allegheny County died from the coronavirus, county health officials said Friday, bringing the countywide total to 18. Allegheny County Health Department initially reported a total of 20 deaths Friday morning but later corrected an error in the data. All of those people were over the age...
Westmoreland coroner says county has 11 coronavirus deaths
Westmoreland County has 11 deaths related to coronavirus, according to Coroner Ken Bacha. Pennsylvania’s Department of Health reported one death in the county through Thursday, with that number rising to five in its Friday update. But Bacha said Friday morning that 10 additional fatalities are attributed to covid-19, all of...
Dairy industry group working to stop purchase limits on milk
If your local grocery store still has a limit on how much milk a customer can buy, the state’s Department of Agriculture wants to know about it. Despite the covid-19 pandemic disrupting the local dairy supply chain, agriculture officials announced the American Dairy Association North East is working to stop...
Coronavirus highlights inequities among Western Pa. school districts
In the McKeesport Area School District, Superintendent Mark Holtzman estimates more than a thousand families either don’t have reliable internet access or the necessary technological devices to complete online schoolwork. Lessons are being made available via paper handouts, social media and the district website, he said. Completing material is strongly...
Excela ER doctor takes precautions; donations sought for protective equipment
After 15 years of practicing in Excela Health emergency rooms, Dr. Greg Harbaugh has added a new twist to his daily routine. Every day when he arrives home, Harbaugh strips down in the garage, places his clothing in a plastic bag, dumps the contents in the washing machine and heads...
Because of backlash, Feds say they will continue to fund coronavirus testing sitesVideo
The Department of Health and Human Services says it will continue to support community-based coronavirus testing sites around the country despite saying earlier in the week it would stop. The funding was to discontinue on Friday but because of social media backlash and criticism of local officials, the agency says...
Lori Falce: Let’s get back to better than normal
We all can’t wait to get back to normal. This coronavirus shutdown is getting to everyone. We all want to get out of our houses, go back to work and be able to shop again like it’s an activity, maybe even a hobby, instead of a Navy SEAL excursion. We...
Sen. Bob Casey, Excela doctor urge caution when it comes to reopening businesses
U.S. Sen. Bob Casey Jr. and Excela Health’s chief medical officer urged the public to be patient and consider “the greater good” when it comes to reopening businesses amid the coronavirus pandemic. “In order to preserve public health and to prevent the spread of a disease for which there’s no...
Judge orders Chicago jail to do more to halt spread of coronavirusVideo
CHICAGO — A federal judge in Chicago Thursday ordered one of the nation’s largest jails to take prompt action to stem the potentially catastrophic spread of the coronavirus, including by ensuring that its more than 4,000 detainees have access to adequate soap and sanitizer. U.S. District Judge Matthew Kennelly also...
As covid-19 kills, NYC shortens deadline for claiming deadVideo
NEW YORK — As New York City deals with a mounting coronavirus death toll and dwindling morgue space, the city has shortened the amount of time it will hold unclaimed remains before they are buried in the city’s public cemetery. Under the new policy, the medical examiner’s office will keep...
Rivers Casino Pittsburgh plans to furlough most employees
Rivers Casino Pittsburgh will start furloughing most of its employees beginning next week amid the coronavirus pandemic. “This was an extremely difficult decision and one we desperately hoped to avoid,” Rivers CEO Greg Carlin said in a statement issued Thursday. The casino has been closed since March 15 to help...
Coronavirus shutdown presents challenges for teams, sponsorsVideo
CHICAGO — There are no sponsored power plays at the moment. No doughnut races in the fourth quarter. No calls to the bullpen presented by phone companies. Amid the coronavirus shutdown, sports business executives are having tough conversations about lucrative advertising and marketing contracts with no games on the horizon....
Pa. Department of Health to provide county EMS agencies more details on covid-19 cases
The Pennsylvania Department of Health will release additional information about the location of covid-19 patients to county emergency management agencies beginning Friday. Citing the privacy provisions of the 1955 Disease Prevention and Control Act, the Pennsylvania Department of Health, which holds daily briefings on the statewide case count, previously refused...
Port Authority sets rider limits on buses, light rail
The Port Authority of Allegheny County will limit the number of riders allowed on buses at one time starting Monday in an effort to maintain social-distancing guidelines and slow the spread of the coronavirus. • No more than 10 riders will be allowed on a 35-foot bus • No more...
Pennsylvania issues update on licensing waivers granted during coronavirus response
State officials have issued 30 licensing waivers since the Department of State last month said it would clear hurdles to allow more professionals to respond to the coronavirus disaster declaration. “During this unprecedented emergency, the Department of State is committed to reducing as many burdens as possible for licensees to...
Applications for mail-in ballots surge as lockdown continues
Applications for mail-in ballots are surging across Pennsylvania, even as President Trump repeatedly condemns mail-in voting as a scheme that could hamper GOP chances to prevail at the polls. According to the Pennsylvania Department of State, the number of applications for mail-in ballots increased from 179,172 on April 1 to...
Western Pa. grocers try to keep customers, workers safe as government discourages shopping tripsVideo
Grocery stores around the Pittsburgh region continue to do all they can to keep customers and employees safe and healthy during an escalating coronavirus pandemic that prompted federal officials to warn people to avoid supermarkets. Along with social distancing, at the top of the list for most area grocers is...
General says coronavirus may affect more Navy shipsVideo
WASHINGTON — Pentagon leaders anticipate that the coronavirus may strike more Navy ships at sea after an outbreak aboard an aircraft carrier in the Pacific infected more than 400 sailors, a top general said Thursday. Gen. John Hyten, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said one member of...
