Coronavirus category, Page 233
NYC parks could become ‘temporary’ burial sites as coronavirus deaths increase
NEW YORK — New York City has plans to turn parks into temporary cemeteries if the death toll from coronavirus continues to spike, according to a Manhattan politician. With morgues and funeral homes overwhelmed, the city will dig trenches with 10 caskets each if needed, Councilman Mark Levine tweeted Monday....
PennDOT reopens more rest stops along Pennsylvania interstates
PennDOT has reopened four more rest areas after they were closed to help curb the spread of the coronavirus. Rest stops that reopened Monday include:Interstate 70 eastbound in Washington County, 3.5 miles east of Exit 1Interstate 81 northbound in Franklin County, 1 mile north of the Maryland state lineInterstate 81...
Jonah Goldberg: Impeachment not a valid excuse for slow coronavirus response
A reporter asked President Trump last week what he thought of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s claim that impeachment distracted Trump from tackling the coronavirus epidemic earlier. The president gave a rambling answer but ultimately settled on a firm no. “I don’t think I would have done better had I...
White House pushes unproven drug for virus; doctors waryVideo
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump and his administration kept up their out-sized promotion Monday of an malaria drug not yet officially approved for fighting the new coronavirus, even though scientists say more testing is needed before it’s proven safe and effective against covid-19. Trump trade adviser Peter Navarro championed hydroxychloroquine...
Lost Time: How coronavirus spread while supply orders laggedVideo
The government’s stockpile of critically needed medical supplies and equipment is nearly drained just as the numbers of people infected with the coronavirus and in need of critical care is surging. Back in January, the first alarms were sounding about the outbreak in China. In time, it would become a...
With coronavirus deaths showing signs of slowing, officials caution against letting guard down
NEW YORK — The steep rise in coronavirus deaths appeared to be leveling off Monday in hard-hit New York, echoing a trend underway in Italy and Spain, while the crisis escalated in Britain, where Prime Minister Boris Johnson was moved to intensive care after his condition deteriorated. Johnson, 55, was...
Chicago mayor: Virus deaths in black community ‘devastating’
Chicago is launching a health campaign focused on the city’s black and brown communities, Mayor Lori Lightfoot said Monday following a media report highlighting the disproportionate number of black residents among those who have died of COVID-19 complications in the city. Lightfoot called WBEZ’s finding that 70% of recorded deaths...
Answering the Call: Pittsburgh nurse talks about her worries during coronavirusVideo
Meghan Dawson is a nurse who works directly with high-risk maternity patients at UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital. With covid-19 cases rising, she worries about her patients and herself. A wife and mother, Dawson talked with the Tribune-Review about the strain of her job and the toll it is taking on her...
Pa. ramps up effort to get businesses to help make medical equipment
An online portal created by state officials will help identify businesses that are building much-needed medical supplies and guide others who might be able to pivot their manufacturing toward creating those supplies, Gov. Tom Wolf said Monday. The Manufacturing Call to Action Portal will streamline the process for manufacturers who...
UPMC researchers developing test to measure antibodies in fight against coronavirus
UPMC researchers are among those nationwide and around the world working to learn more about blood tests that could help physicians understand how a person’s body has responded to covid-19. The blood test would measure whether a person has antibodies to SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes covid-19, and could show...
Giant Eagle to limit number of people allowed in stores
Giant Eagle said Monday it will begin limiting the number of customers who can shop at each store at one time. “As supermarkets, convenience stores and pharmacies remain in operation as essential community resources, we believe it’s vital to heighten our social distancing and sanitization procedures throughout the store,” company...
Coronavirus is mostly mild and rarely fatal for U.S. kids, data show
The first national data on covid-19 in U.S. children suggest that while the illness usually isn’t severe in kids, some do get sick enough to require hospital treatment. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report released Monday shows that fever, cough and shortness of breath were the most common...
Pittsburgh police instructor tests positive for coronavirus; recruit class suspended
A Pittsburgh Police Academy firearms instructor tested positive for covid-19, prompting officials to suspend a 28-member recruit class The city’s Public Safety Department is working to identify everyone, including recruits, who came into contact with the instructor. Officials sent the instructor home on Wednesday after he began exhibiting symptoms similar...
Hundreds wait in long lines at Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank for food giveawayVideo
The line seems to be getting longer every week at the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank. The organization on Monday held its fifth drive-up food distribution at its headquarters in Duquesne, serving 861 vehicles in three hours. About a half-hour before the noon start, vehicles were backed up onto Route...
Officials offer guidance on how to properly wear a homemade face maskVideo
Pennsylvania officials last week asked all residents to wear homemade face masks if they leave their homes to help prevent the spread of covid-19. But are they wearing them the right way to protect themselves and others? The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recommended the use of homemade...
Pennsylvania jobless claims exceed 1 million since outbreak
More than one million people filed unemployment compensation claims in Pennsylvania since March 15, state Department of Labor and Industry officials told reporters Monday. The exact number — 1,134,053 — eclipses any surge in unemployment in memory. It also represents a 2,735% increase in the number of claims (40,000) from...
U.S. Postal Service hiring temporary employees
The U.S. Postal Service is hiring temporary workers to fill mail handling and processing positions at various locations in Western Pennsylvania, the agency announced Monday. People are needed to serve as mail handler assistants, mail processing clerk assistants, clerk assistants and city carrier assistants, according to the postal service. The...
BP offering gasoline discount to first responders, medical personnel
BP is offering a discount on gasoline to first responders and medical personnel to help support them during the covid-19 pandemic. The company is providing a discount of 50 cents per gallon at its BP and Amoco stations. To get the discount, first responders, doctors, nurses and hospital workers need...
Pittsburgh zoo announces furloughs for more than 40 employees
The Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium is temporarily laying off one-third of its workforce because of the covid-19 pandemic, zoo officials announced Monday. “This was an incredibly painful and challenging decision,” zoo President and CEO Barbara Baker said in a statement. “Every effort was made and avenue explored in an...
Lady Gaga raises $35M for coronavirus fight, curates all-star TV event
Lady Gaga and advocacy organization Global Citizen have raised $35 million to fight the coronavirus and will launch a TV special featuring Paul McCartney, Stevie Wonder and Billie Eilish to combat the growing virus. Gaga said on Monday that the money was raised in seven days and will benefit The...
David Sanko: So many to thank … don’t forget local government
Pennsylvania Local Government Week is April 6-10, and we can think of no better time to recognize our townships, which are on the front lines of making sure life goes on as smoothly and safely as possible in their communities during the covid-19 pandemic. As the covid-19 emergency continues throughout...
Pennsylvania reports 12 more deaths, 1,470 new coronavirus cases
Twelve more people have died in Pennsylvania as a result of the coronavirus as the number of cases neared 13,000, state health officials said Monday. The death toll stands at 162, and the 1,470 new cases reported throughout the day Sunday brings the statewide total to 12,980. Secretary of Health...
Robocalls dwindle during coronavirus pandemic
Even the robots are listening to worldwide recommendations to keep our distance from each other. Although robocalls are automated, call centers where they’re managed are closed or have otherwise reduced their operations, Los Angeles Times business columnist David Lazarus noted last week. Lazarus heard from a couple who noticed a...
Allegheny County reports 37 new coronavirus cases, total reaches 642
Allegheny County reported 37 additional covid-19 cases Monday, bringing the countywide total to 642. County officials reported 53 new cases Sunday and 76 new cases Saturday. That does not include four county residents who have died from complications related to covid-19. The most recent deaths, reported this weekend, included a...
Pennsylvania is getting worse at social distancing, data shows
Despite a growing number of covid-19 cases in Pennsylvania, location data shows residents have actually increased their travel. Unacast, a phone data company, used data from mobile phones to track the average change in distance traveled by individuals in each state and country, starting from Feb. 24. The state was...
