Coronavirus category, Page 238
Pittsburgh professors see flaws in coronavirus modeling, predict more grim outlook
Two Pittsburgh academics argue that much of the modeling regarding the trajectory of the covid-19 pandemic has been fundamentally flawed — and the real outlook for the disease is much more dismal. Wesley Pegden and Maria Chikina have joined an international conversation about projections of how dire the covid-19 pandemic...
Mexican brewer of Corona beer suspends productionVideo
Looks like we won’t have Corona beer to kick around anymore. For a little while, at least. Grupo Modelo announced Thursday that it is suspending production of its Corona beer and other brands, including Modelo and Pacífico, after it was declared among the nonessential businesses in a Mexican government order...
World virus roundup: Death toll in Spain nears 11,000; Merkel returns to workVideo
Here’s the latest on the coronavirus pandemic from around the world. From Spain Spain is closing Friday a black week with its death toll for the new coronavirus nearing 11,000, more than half of those during the past seven days, and more infections than any other country in Europe. The...
Employee at Murrysville Giant Eagle tests positive for covid-19
An employee at the Giant Eagle in Murrysville has tested positive for covid-19, store officials reported Thursday night. The regional chain has sought to keep customers informed by keeping a list of stores where employees have tested positive for the virus, and when that employee was last in the store....
Highmark, UPMC to pay patients’ out-of-pocket costs for covid-19 treatments
Western Pennsylvania’s two largest insurers pledged Thursday to eliminate any out-of-pocket costs for patients who are treated for covid-19 at an in-network hospital. Both UPMC and Highmark committed to waiving all deductibles, co-pays and co-insurance costs for insurance members who receive in-network, inpatient care related to covid-19, the disease caused...
Donald Boudreaux: Essential questions on essential medicines
The clarity with which we humans express desirable objectives often hides reality’s complexity. That’s true for the increasingly common notion, as expressed by President Trump’s trade adviser Peter Navarro, that America should “bring home its … supply chains for essential medicines.” This sentiment is supported by U.S. Trade Representative Robert...
State police: Convenience store, restaurant, bar customers can’t stick around to play video games
The state police don’t want bar patrons playing video gambling machines under normal conditions, let alone during the coronavirus pandemic. State police have received “an influx of public inquiries related to liquor licensees allowing patrons to remain in their establishments to operate video gambling devices, sometimes marketed as ‘games of...
Trump administration ended pandemic early-warning program to detect coronavirusesVideo
Two months before the novel coronavirus probably began spreading in Wuhan, China, the Trump administration ended a $200 million pandemic early-warning program aimed at training scientists in China and other countries to detect and respond to such a threat. The project, launched by the U.S. Agency for International Development in...
Juniper Village at Forest Hills senior community to begin proactive coronavirus testing
Juniper Communities, a senior housing company with sites in Forest Hills, Meadville, State College and eastern Pennsylvania, will begin taking a proactive approach to the coronavirus pandemic by testing residents and staff. “Senior living communities are the first line of defense for 3 million citizens most at risk for complications...
Georgia infections at 5,300 as Gov. Brian Kemp readies stay-home orderVideo
ATLANTA — Coronavirus infections in Georgia climbed past 5,300 and officials blamed the virus for record-shattering unemployment claims Thursday as Gov. Brian Kemp prepared to order residents statewide to shelter at home in hopes of slowing transmission. The sobering new figures on the pandemic’s toll in Georgia came just a...
‘Hail to Pitt’ trending as Twitter users praise potential vaccine development
Praise for the University of Pittsburgh has dominated social media after the institution announced it was close to developing a vaccine for the novel coronavirus. Scientists at Pitt’s School of Medicine announced Thursday that the vaccine, when tested in mice, produces antibodies that could fight off the virus. Testing the...
Ivy League denies graduate eligibility for spring-sport athletesVideo
NEW YORK — The Ivy League decided not to allow its spring-sport athletes who had their seasons shortened by the coronavirus pandemic to have an additional year of eligibility as graduates, despite the NCAA granting that option earlier this week. The move, which was announced Thursday, was consistent for the...
Navy captain who pleaded for help in coronavirus outbreak on carrier relieved of commandVideo
The Navy on Thursday has relieved the captain of the coronavirus-stricken USS Roosevelt shortly after his plea for help for his sailors went public. Capt. Brett Crozier, who commands the aircraft carrier with a crew of about 5,000, will be relieved of his command but keep his rank and remain...
U.S. to recommend widespread wearing of masksVideo
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration is formalizing new guidance to recommend that many, if not almost all, Americans wear face coverings when leaving home, in an effort to slow the spread of the new coronavirus. The recommendations were still being finalized Thursday. They would apply at least to those who...
Drive-up coronavirus testing suspended at Pittsburgh zoo, Aliquippa
The Central Outreach Wellness Center has suspended its drive-up coronavirus testing indefinitely, staff said Thursday. Alexander Young, director of marketing, said that as covid-19 spreads, testing becomes less of a necessity. “As more people become infected, it’s less important to know who has it and who doesn’t and to treat...
Ill-fated cruise ships given approval to dock in FloridaVideo
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Passengers aboard two cruise ships that have had coronavirus cases and deaths have been given the green light to disembark at a Florida port, an official said Thursday. An agreement was reached between local, state and federal officials and Carnival Corp., which owns the Zaandam and...
Confirmed coronavirus cases hit 1 million worldwideVideo
NEW YORK - The number of coronavirus infections worldwide has hit 1 million, with more than 50,000 deaths, according to the tally kept by Johns Hopkins University. The figures were another bleak milestone in the epidemic that has forced the lockdown of entire countries and brought economies to a shuddering...
High-speed disinfecting process proves invaluable to Western Pa. ambulance crewsVideo
As the coronavirus continues to spread and send many patients to the hospital, ambulance crews are balancing a thorough disinfection process with getting back on the road as quickly as possible. It’s a situation that has led to an uptick in business for cleaning and restoration companies that have a...
Former MLB outfielder Jim Edmonds feeling better after coronavirus diagnosisVideo
Retired Angels and St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Jim Edmonds reported late Wednesday he had tested positive for the novel coronavirus. In a video shared on his Instagram profile, Edmonds said he was “doing really well” and no longer exhibited symptoms of the covid-19 disease. He surmised he must have been...
Lori Falce: Reluctant covid-19 homeschool lessons
I have never wanted to home-school. While I want my son to reach for knowledge, and I want to be his partner in finding it, I have never wanted to be his teacher. That is largely because I am all too aware of my strengths and my weaknesses, and how...
UPMC nurse opens up about front-line battle against coronavirusVideo
There is no doubt that Western Pennsylvanians are indebted to the people on the front lines in the fight against covid-19. They include Jonathan Crossett, a nurse clinician who is part of the covid-19 response team at UPMC Presbyterian Hospital in Oakland. Crossett, a married father of a 4-month-old boy,...
Coronavirus resets political calendar
Fears of coronavirus are resetting the political calendar in Pennsylvania and across the nation as the 2020 presidential election nears. Officials with the Democratic National Committee announced Thursday the party’s presidential nominating convention, previously scheduled for July 13 in Milwaukee, is rescheduled for Aug. 17. That announcement came as the...
Philips Respironics ramping up ventilator production, soon to include a lower-cost unit
A Dutch manufacturer says it hopes to triple the production of hospital ventilators being assembled in Murrysville and Carlsbad, Calif., between now and the end of September. “In March, our production capacity was 1,000 ventilators per week. In two months, we hope to double that … and by the end...
Coronavirus crisis postpones Latrobe’s Rabbit Race, closes playgrounds
Latrobe’s 20th annual Rabbit Race 5K won’t happen Saturday morning. With Pennsylvanians under a state order to stay at home except for essential needs until at least April 30, the fundraising race at Latrobe’s Memorial Stadium is tentatively rescheduled for May 16. The new deadline to register online for the...
Joseph Otis Minott: Public policy matters, especially when it comes to our air
As we all stay home and learn to navigate this unprecedented health crisis affecting people not just in Pennsylvania but around the world, coronavirus understandably dominates our public consciousness. The pandemic starkly reminds us all that there is nothing more important than our health and the well-being of the people...
