Coronavirus category, Page 77
Senate approves budget bill as Harris casts tie-breaker vote
WASHINGTON — The Senate early Friday approved a budget that would allow fast-track passage of President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief plan without support from Republicans. Vice President Kamala Harris was in the chair to cast the tie-breaking vote, her first. Democrats in the chamber applauded after Harris announced...
U.K. to begin hotel quarantine amid criticism of delay
LONDON — Everyone arriving in the U.K. from countries identified as coronavirus hotspots will have to spend 10 days in hotel quarantine starting Feb. 15 in a bid to stop new virus variants reaching the country, the government said Friday. But authorities are facing criticism for delays in implementing the...
Excela ‘Mask Up’ video taps Westmoreland facesVideo
Some recognizable faces — even behind masks — are helping Excela Health officials stress the importance of mask-wearing and social distancing while the coronavirus vaccine infiltrates the community. CEO John Sphon said the health system sought well-known figures to help spread the message as a way to reach county residents...
Some Western Pa. Sam’s Club pharmacies to begin offering covid-19 vaccines
Walmart and Sam’s Club will begin offering covid-19 vaccines at select pharmacies beginning next week. Four local Sam’s Club stores — located in Hempfield, Monroeville, Trinity Point and West Mifflin — are among participating locations. Select locations in 22 states are slated to begin administering the vaccines through the Federal...
Johnson & Johnson asks U.S. regulators to OK its one-shot covid-19 vaccine
Johnson & Johnson asked U.S. regulators Thursday to clear the world’s first single-dose covid-19 vaccine, an easier-to-use option that could boost scarce supplies. J&J’s vaccine was safe and offered strong protection against moderate to severe covid-19, according to preliminary results from a massive international study. It didn’t appear quite as...
Wisconsin GOP repeals governor’s statewide mask mandate
MADISON, Wis. — Wisconsin’s Republican-controlled Legislature on Thursday repealed Democratic Gov. Tony Evers’ mask mandate, brushing aside warnings from health experts against making Wisconsin one of only 10 states without a statewide order. The Assembly vote came a week after the Senate voted to kill the mandate. Republicans, who control...
U.S. rushes to catch up in the race to detect mutant viruses
Despite its world-class medical system and its vaunted Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the U.S. fell behind in the race to detect dangerous coronavirus mutations. And it’s only now beginning to catch up. The problem has not been a shortage of technology or expertise. Rather, scientists say, it’s an...
Covid hospitalizations in Pa. continue to fall
The number of people in Pennsylvania hospitalized because of the coronavirus continues to fall. The state Department of Health on Thursday reported 3,138 people were being treated for covid-19 in hospitals, 86 fewer than the day before. It marked the 14th day out of the past 15 that the number...
Westmoreland County crosses 25,000 mark for covid cases
Westmoreland County on Thursday eclipsed the 25,000 mark for coronavirus cases, but the signs of a slowdown continue. The county reported 70 additional cases of covid-19 and three additional deaths attributed to the virus, according to the latest data available from the Pennsylvania Department of Health. The county reported 25,068...
Allegheny County reports 1 additional covid death as signs of virus leveling off continue
Allegheny County on Thursday reported one additional death attributed to the coronavirus — a day after reporting nearly three dozen. Meanwhile, the number of newly reported coronavirus cases in the county mostly held steady. The county added 313 covid-19 cases to its tally, according to the latest data available from...
Scams, high demand shut down Allegheny County phone lines for vaccine appointments
A phone line meant to help seniors and those without internet access set up covid-19 vaccination appointments lasted less than four hours Thursday before appointments were full — but it was long enough for scammers to begin intercepting calls and asking for money, according to Allegheny County officials. Beginning at...
Sitting over $10 billion, Roman Catholic dioceses amassed taxpayer aid during pandemic
When the coronavirus forced churches to close their doors and give up Sunday collections, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Charlotte turned to the federal government’s signature small business relief program for more than $8 million. The diocese’s headquarters, churches and schools landed the help even though they had roughly $100...
Westmoreland group weighs in on lack of local input, challenges in vaccine rollout
Members of the Voice of Westmoreland, a local grassroots organizing group, raised a call for the county to establish a health department during an online town hall forum on the vaccine rollout in the region. The online town hall brought together representatives from Service Employees International Union, the United Food...
Pa. officials hope direct shipment of covid vaccine to pharmacies will ease supply woes
Pennsylvania health officials hope additional covid-19 vaccines going directly from the federal government to some pharmacies will begin to chip away at their massive waitlists as millions remain to be vaccinated. The Biden administration announced Tuesday that it would begin sending vaccines directly to states’ retail pharmacy partnership locations. In...
Allegheny Co. officials ask for ‘common sense’ during Super Bowl viewingVideo
Allegheny County officials encouraged residents to exercise caution over Super Bowl weekend – refraining from gathering with people outside of family members and sticking to public health guidelines. “We ask people, again, use good common sense,” County Executive Rich Fitzgerald. “Social distance, wear your mask, avoid Super Bowl parties.” The...
Study finds AstraZeneca’s covid-19 vaccine may reduce virus transmissionVideo
AstraZeneca’s covid-19 vaccine does more than prevent people from falling seriously ill — it appears to reduce transmission of the virus and offers strong protection for three months on just a single dose, researchers said Wednesday in an encouraging turn in the campaign to suppress the outbreak. The preliminary findings...
Pa.’s lagging vaccine rollout takes center stage in Harrisburg
Pennsylvania’s lagging coronavirus vaccine distribution came under fire Wednesday as health leaders cited poor communication and disorganization as reasons for the slow rollout and lawmakers questioned the state’s efficiency in inoculating residents. The three-hour hearing, conducted by the House Health Committee, addressed concerns with vaccine accessibility, racial disparities, the pace...
Covid hospitalizations continue to drop in Pennsylvania
Covid hospitalizations in Pennsylvania are on a downward trend, decreasing more than 500 in a week. Data from the Pennsylvania Department of Health shows the number of coronavirus patients dropped 544 from 3,768 a week ago to 3,224 Wednesday. The number also shrunk by 57 from Tuesday’s 3,281. There are...
Westmoreland County shows signs of covid cases dropping
Westmoreland County’s seven-day average of new coronavirus cases (90) remained in double digits for the fourth straight day after averaging triple-digit new cases every day from Nov. 12 through Jan. 30. The county on Wednesday reported 115 additional covid-19 cases, as well as four deaths, according to the Pennsylvania Department...
Allegheny County adds 33 covid-19 deaths to total
Allegheny County reported 33 more covid-19 deaths Wednesday, according to the county’s Health Department. The newly reported deaths range from Dec. 19 to Monday, with four of the deaths occurring in December. The county attributed some of the new deaths to data imported by the state from the Electronic Death...
Here’s how Pa. ranks in vaccination rollout nationwide
If it feels like the coronavirus vaccine rollout in Pennsylvania is among the worst in the country, you’re not wrong. According to data compiled by the Associated Press, Pennsylvania is tied for 39th among the 50 states in terms of the percentage of the population that has received at least...
Biden, Treasury Secretary Yellen say GOP virus aid too small
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden panned a Republican alternative to his $1.9 trillion covid rescue plan as insufficient as Senate Democrats pushed ahead, voting to launch a process that could approve his sweeping rescue package on their own, if Republicans refuse to support it. Biden and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen...
Fauci: Don’t let Super Bowl parties become super spreaders
WASHINGTON — The nation’s top infectious disease expert doesn’t want the Super Bowl to turn into a super spreader. Dr. Anthony Fauci, says when it comes to Super Bowl parties during the pandemic, people should “just lay low and cool it.” He said during TV interviews Wednesday that now isn’t...
VA Pittsburgh Health Care sets covid vaccine clinic for senior veterans
The VA Pittsburgh Health Care System is offering a walk-in covid-19 vaccine clinic for eligible senior veterans Saturday at its University Drive campus in Pittsburgh’s Oakland neighborhood. Hours are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., but requested arrival times are broken up based on the first letter of each veteran’s last...
Should cancer patients get the covid vaccine?Video
Many oncologists are being asked by their patients if they should get the covid vaccine when it becomes available to them. Some cancer patients are afraid that adding one more thing during treatment may not be good. Dr. Stanley Marks, chairman of the UPMC Hillman Cancer Center and a nationally...
