Coronavirus category, Page 67
2,500 Westmoreland teachers, school-related employees to get coronavirus vaccineVideo
Nearly 2,500 Westmoreland County teachers and other school employees will get coronavirus vaccinations starting this weekend. Registration emails should be sent shortly to those whose identities and employment were verified by schools, said Jason Conway, executive director of the Westmoreland Intermediate Unit. Clinics will be held over several days. “It...
5 things to know about the next round of stimulus checks
The third round of stimulus checks is on the way — and it’s the biggest one yet. Here are five things to expect about your check: How big are the stimulus payments? The base payment is $1,400 for individuals or $2,800 per couple, plus an additional $1,400 for each dependent...
Smithsonian obtains vial from 1st U.S. covid vaccine doseVideo
WASHINGTON — The Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History has acquired the vial that contained the first dose of covid-19 vaccine administered in the United States as part of its plans to document the global pandemic and “this extraordinary period we were going through.” The acquisition, along with other materials...
California and Florida took vastly different approaches to covid. Here’s how it turned out.
A year into the pandemic, California and Florida have become common points of contrast as Americans grapple with the horrific human and economic tolls of trying to control covid-19. Though the states took wildly different approaches to the pandemic, their rates of death from covid-19 differ as much as one...
Pittsburgh-based Dr. Amesh Adalja cherishes role as voice of the pandemic
Nobody could blame Dr. Amesh Adalja if he feels somewhat reluctant to check his email or go to the mailbox on certain days. The Pittsburgh-based infectious disease expert, who is of Indian descent, has been on the receiving end of everything from overtly racist emails, including being called “dirt skin,”...
Spring-break partying falls victim to covid-19 crisis
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Goodbye, sunshine. Hello, study sessions. Colleges around the country are scaling back spring break or canceling it entirely to discourage partying that could spread the virus and raise infection rates back on campus. Texas A&M University opted for a three-day weekend instead of a whole week...
Western Pa. health experts cautious about CDC’s mask-shedding guidance
Western Pennsylvania health professionals say the newest public health guidelines about maskless gatherings are a “measured step toward normalcy” — but they also come with some concerns. “I worry a little bit, frankly, that people will maybe misinterpret this particular guidance, and think it gives more freedoms than it really...
Pitt campuses to loosen coronavirus restrictions
The University of Pittsburgh will loosen restrictions at three campuses starting Thursday, including the Pittsburgh campus, citing lower coronavirus infection counts and easing public health guidance. Pitt announced the change in an update from the Covid-19 Medical Response Office on Friday. The Pittsburgh, Bradford and Titusville campuses will move from...
Guilt, envy, distrust: Vaccine rollout breeds mixed emotions
NEW YORK — Before posting a selfie with her covid-19 vaccination card on Twitter, Aditi Juneja debated whether to include an explanation for why she was eligible for a shot. “The first draft of the tweet had an explanation,” says Juneja, a 30-year-old lawyer in New York City. After some...
More than 100,000 have now died of covid-19 in Italy
MILAN — Italy surpassed 100,000 dead in the pandemic, a year after it became the first country in Europe to go on lockdown in a bid to stop the spread of covid-19. The Italian Health Ministry on Monday said 318 people had died in the past 24 hours, bringing the...
4 big Pennsylvania counties unhappy over vaccine share
HARRISBURG — Four of Pennsylvania’s seven most-heavily populated counties are airing their unhappiness over the size of their allotment of coronavirus vaccines, saying Monday that a meeting with Gov. Tom Wolf’s top health official did not resolve their concerns. Leaders of Bucks, Chester, Delaware and Montgomery counties — home to...
Covid numbers hitting lows not seen since early November
Pennsylvania’s latest covid-19 data, released Monday by the state’s Department of Health, carries on the trend of lower numbers — in new cases, hospitalizations and deaths. Over the past two days, the state has recorded 3,176 new cases of coronavirus, an 11% drop from last Monday’s two-day report (3,573) and...
Fully vaccinated people can gather without masks, CDC says
NEW YORK — Fully vaccinated Americans can gather with other vaccinated people indoors without wearing a mask or social distancing, according to long-awaited guidance from federal health officials. The recommendations also say that vaccinated people can come together in the same way with people considered at low-risk for severe disease,...
Pandemic weighs on mental health as people cope with anxiety, fears
Almost a year into the covid-19 pandemic, feeling stressed is an understatement, Jenn Sillett said. The 42-year-old mother of three has not set foot inside a store or restaurant for the better part of the past year, only leaving her Hempfield home to take her 19-year-old daughter, Sierra Williams, to...
Vaccine site overrun after false rumors said all could come
FLORIDA CITY, Fla. — A Florida vaccination site had so few eligible takers Saturday that is started inoculating any adult who wanted a shot rather than let the vaccine on hand go to waste. Word spread and on Sunday the Florida City site was overwhelmed, particularly after local state Sen....
Workers worry about safety, stress as states ease mask rules
JACKSON, Mississippi — Leo Carney worries that bigger crowds and mask-less diners could endanger workers at the Biloxi, Mississippi, seafood restaurant where he manages the kitchen. Maribel Cornejo, who earns $9.85 an hour as a McDonald’s cook in Houston, can’t afford to get sick and frets co-workers will become more...
1 year later: The coronavirus response, missteps and what we have learned
Think about one year ago. On Feb. 2, the Super Bowl was played in front of more than 62,000 fans packed into Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium. A month later, 18,548 watched the Penguins play the Carolina Hurricanes on March 8 at PPG Paints Arena. A few days after that, the...
Arizona lifts capacity limits; 19% vaccinated
PHOENIX — One day after Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey lifted capacity restrictions at restaurants, gyms and other businesses, the state reported 1,735 confirmed coronavirus cases. Arizona doesn’t have a statewide mask mandate. With 54 more confirmed deaths on Saturday, the totals rose to 825,119 cases and 16,323 deaths. The number...
Westmoreland County posts 61 more coronavirus cases
The Pennsylvania Department of Health on Saturday reported 61 new cases of the coronavirus in Westmoreland County, as the area continues to stay below triple digit case counts. The county last saw a triple-digit count Feb. 3, and 18 of the 31 days since then have remained below 75 new...
1 year after covid hit Pa: nearly 1 million cases, more than 24,000 deaths
Pennsylvania health officials on Saturday reported 2,789 new coronavirus cases, exactly one year after the virus was first discovered in the Keystone State. Two people were reported quarantined on March 6, 2020 in the eastern part of the state after they were presumed positive to have contracted covid-19. Saturday’s data...
Allegheny County reports 276 new covid cases, 3 deaths
Allegheny County on Saturday recorded 276 new coronavirus cases, as case counts and hospitalizations continue to decrease in the area. Reports haven’t reached 500 cases in nearly seven weeks and the county hasn’t reported any 1,000-case days in the past nine weeks, according to data from the Allegheny County Health...
Americans vaccinated against covid-19 still wait for advice
More than 27 million Americans fully vaccinated against the coronavirus will have to keep waiting for guidance from federal health officials for what they should and shouldn’t do. The Biden administration said Friday it’s focused on getting the guidance right and accommodating emerging science, but the delays add to the...
Pennsylvania continues downward trend in covid deaths
Pennsylvania continues to report fewer deaths attributed to the coronavirus. The state on Friday reported 43 additional covid-related deaths, for a total of 325 in a seven-day period. That’s the lowest seven-day total since mid-November. That number was over 1,000 for most of December and January but has been steadily...
Westmoreland County adds 95 covid cases, 2 deaths
Westmoreland County on Friday reported an additional 95 cases of covid-19, keeping the seven-day average at 63 cases for the third consecutive day and below 70 for nearly two weeks. Of the new cases, 60 are confirmed via 290 new PCR tests and 35 are listed as probable, according to...
Mask policies are here to stay — for now, Pa. officials sayVideo
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott made headlines this week by lifting his state’s mask mandate and declaring Texas “100% open” against advice of federal health agencies. Pennsylvania should not expect any such declarations any time soon. “At this time, mask-wearing is abundantly important,” said acting state Secretary of Health Alison Beam....
