Coronavirus category, Page 79
Fauci sees covid vaccination for kids by late spring or the summer
WASHINGTON — The government’s top infectious disease expert said Friday he hopes to see children being vaccinated starting in the next few months. It’s a needed step to securing widespread immunity to the coronavirus. “Hopefully by the time we get to the late spring and early summer we will have...
Pennsylvania’s vaccine allocation could increase slightly by next week
Pennsylvania’s vaccine allocation is expected to increase in the next week, a Department of Health spokeswoman said Friday. President Joe Biden said this week that his administration is working to buy another 200 million doses of the Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines, and announced steps to increase the allocations going to...
Westmoreland County reports 8 additional covid deaths, the most in a week
Westmoreland County on Friday reported 120 new cases of coronavirus, above the seven-day average of 108 cases. The number of total cases reported in the county is now 24,576, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health. Of the newly reported cases, 69 were confirmed from PCR tests and 51 are...
Covid cases in Pennsylvania surge with 9,643 newly reported, the most in 3 weeks
Pennsylvania on Friday reported 9,643 additional cases of coronavirus, the most in nearly three weeks. Many of the newly reported cases were attributed to Berks, Lancaster and Montgomery counties, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health. The state notes that today’s cases include backlogged antigen testing data from urgent care...
Allegheny County adds 364 new coronavirus cases, 39 new deaths
Allegheny County on Friday reported 364 additional cases of coronavirus, slightly above the seven-day average of 352, according to data from the Pennsylvania Department of Health. Of the newly reported cases, 287 are confirmed from 1,314 new PCR tests and 77 are recorded as probable, according to the Allegheny County...
Covid vaccine misinformation target of Pitt study
University of Pittsburgh researchers are investigating online misinformation relating to the covid-19 vaccines, thanks to a grant from the Richard King Mellon Foundation. The goal is to create “beneficial and educational messaging about vaccines,” the university said. “We wanted to see what are some of the reasons why we’re seeing...
Canada to quarantine travelers, suspend flights south
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Friday announced stricter restrictions on travelers in response to new, likely more contagious variants of the novel coronavirus — including making it mandatory for travelers to quarantine in a hotel at their own expense when they arrive in Canada and suspending airline service to Mexico...
Hungary 1st in EU to approve Chinese covid-19 vaccine
Hungary’s medicine and food safety regulator on Friday approved China’s Sinopharm covid-19 vaccine for emergency use, making it the first country in the European Union to do so. The decision followed a government decree Thursday that streamlined Hungary’s vaccine approval procedure. Any vaccine that has been administered to at least...
AstraZeneca covid vaccine authorized for all adults by European Union
BERLIN — Regulators authorized AstraZeneca’s coronavirus vaccine for use in adults throughout the European Union on Friday, amid criticism the bloc is not moving fast enough to vaccinate its population. The European Medicines Agency licensed the vaccine to be used in people 18 and over, though concerns had been raised...
Remdesivir, given to half of hospitalized covid-19 patients in U.S., is big win for Gilead — boosted by taxpayers
It was the end of April — just as the U.S. confirmed its millionth covid-19 case and 50,000 deaths — when White House adviser Dr. Anthony Fauci announced “highly significant” news about a drug called remdesivir. That was surprising because the antiviral drug, owned by Gilead Sciences and developed with...
South Africa OKs limited use of parasite drug as covid treatment
JOHANNESBURG — South Africa is allowing the limited use of a medicine to treat covid-19 even though regulators acknowledge there’s not enough evidence that it works or is safe for this purpose. The South African Health Products Regulatory Authority this week announced the drug ivermectin could be used in exceptional...
Will double-masking better protect you from covid?
When it comes to face masks, are two better than one? Some health experts — including Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious-disease expert — have recently suggested wearing two face masks for extra protection during the covid-19 pandemic. “It just makes common sense that it likely would be more...
Johnson & Johnson’s 1-dose shot prevents covid-19, but less than some others
Johnson & Johnson’s long-awaited vaccine appears to protect against covid-19 with just one shot — not as strong as some two-shot rivals but still potentially helpful for a world in dire need of more doses. J&J said Friday that in the U.S. and seven other countries, the single-shot vaccine was...
WHO team to begin face-to-face meetings with China expertsVideo
WUHAN, China — World Health Organization experts are to begin face-to-face meetings with their Chinese counterparts Friday in the central city of Wuhan at the start of the team’s long-awaited fact-finding mission into the origins of the coronavirus. Those meetings should be followed by the first field visits in and...
Novavax covid-19 vaccine works, but less so against variants
Novavax Inc. said Thursday that its covid-19 vaccine appears 89% effective based on early findings from a British study and that it also seems to work — though not as well — against new mutated versions of the virus circulating in that country and South Africa. The announcement comes amid...
City cancels 2021 Pittsburgh Marathon; smaller regional races still on
The City of Pittsburgh has announced it will not grant a permit for the 2021 Dick’s Sporting Goods Pittsburgh Marathon, effectively canceling this year’s event. Officials decided that May, when the marathon has traditionally been held, was too early to host such an event in a year with an ongoing...
Allegations pile up against Philly college kids tasked with distributing covid-19 vaccineVideo
An organization consisting mainly of young adults was authorized by officials in Philadelphia to manage the distribution of the coronavirus vaccine at the city’s largest vaccination site. The self-described “group of college kids,” Philly Fighting COVID, has reportedly bungled the job, and is currently facing a large amount of serious...
Westmoreland Sheriff’s Office, Park Police receive covid vaccines at courthouse clinic
About 40 members of the Westmoreland County Sheriff’s Office and a dozen Park Police officers received their first covid-19 vaccine doses Thursday at the courthouse. “We looked and looked and looked for doses, and finally we heard about this pharmacy in Washington County that had some,” Sheriff James Albert said....
Whitmer: Holding back federal virus aid ‘cruel and reckless’
LANSING, Mich. — Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said Thursday that she will not cede her authority to issue certain covid-19 restrictions, calling Republicans’ attempt to hold back federal pandemic relief funding unless she changes course “cruel and reckless.” The Democratic governor urged GOP lawmakers to “shift their perspective to looking forward”...
Covid cases in Westmoreland County continue to decline
Westmoreland County on Thursday added 88 additional covid cases and 7 deaths, the Pennsylvania Department of Health reported. The newly-reported deaths now bring the county’s death toll to 586. Of the 88 new cases reported, 58 are confirmed and 30 are probable. The total number of cases in Westmoreland County...
Virus variant from South Africa detected in U.S. for 1st time
COLUMBIA, S.C. — A new coronavirus variant identified in South Africa has been found in the United States for the first time, with two cases diagnosed in South Carolina, state health officials said Thursday. The two cases don’t appear to be connected, nor do the people have a history of...
Covid deaths in Pennsylvania rise, cases remain level
Pennsylvania on Thursday added 198 coronavirus deaths, bringing its total number of deaths to 21,303 since the pandemic began in March. In latest report, 187 deaths are from January, 11 are from December. January (3,520) has surpassed April (3,395) to become the second deadliest month for covid. December has the...
Allegheny County reports 135 new covid deaths, points to state backlog for large increase
Allegheny County on Thursday reported 135 new coronavirus deaths, the highest number of deaths reported on a single day since the pandemic began last spring. The previous highest number was 74 deaths reported on Jan. 13. The county said in a release that a backlog at the state resulted in...
N.Y. nursing home virus deaths were undercounted, AG says
ALBANY, N.Y. — New York may have undercounted covid-19 deaths of nursing home residents by as much as 50%, the state’s attorney general said in a report released Thursday. Attorney General Letitia James has, for months, been examining discrepancies between the number of deaths being reported by the state’s Department...
Here’s why it’s hard to make coronavirus vaccines and boost supplies
With demand for covid-19 vaccines outpacing the world’s supplies, a frustrated public and policymakers want to know: How can we get more? A lot more. Right away. The problem: “It’s not like adding more water to the soup,” said vaccine specialist Maria Elena Bottazzi of Baylor College of Medicine. Makers...
