Coronavirus category, Page 84
Pennsylvania reports 6,047 new covid cases, 215 deaths
Pennsylvania on Friday reported a slightly lower 6,047 additional cases of covid-19 compared to the previous three days, which were each above 7,000. After seeing two days in January that added more than 10,000 cases each, the state has had daily case reports below 8,000 for six consecutive days, according...
Allegheny County sees downward trend in coronavirus cases
Allegheny County on Friday reported 420 additional cases of covid-19, dropping its seven-day average to 574 cases. That is the lowest since the county averaged 558 cases in late November. Of the new cases, 321 were confirmed via 1,714 new PCR tests while 99 were listed as probable, the county...
Pfizer temporarily reduces European deliveries of vaccine
COPENHAGEN, Denmark — U.S. pharmaceutical company Pfizer confirmed Friday it will temporarily reduce deliveries to Europe of its covid-19 vaccine while it upgrades production capacity to 2 billion doses per year. “This temporary reduction will affect all European countries,” a spokeswoman for Pfizer Denmark said in a statement to The...
Allegheny Valley School District returning to hybrid learning next week
Allegheny Valley School Board voted unanimously this week to have students return to hybrid instruction starting Tuesday. Under the plan, students in grades K-12 will be divided into two groups — with one group attending in-person classes on Mondays and Thursdays and a second group attending in-person on Tuesdays and...
North Huntingdon restaurant defies closure ordered by state for covid-19 rule violation
A North Huntingdon restaurant was open for business Thursday despite an order to close over alleged violation of state rules meant to mitigate the spread of covid-19. “We’ve been reported because people don’t have the mask,” Cenacolo Restaurant owner Steve Salvi said, referring to the face coverings the state requires...
VA Pittsburgh to offer walk-up covid vaccinations to eligible veterans
Up to 2,000 eligible veterans across the region could be inoculated starting this weekend as the VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System in Pittsburgh’s Oakland section prepares for its first walk-in clinic to distribute the covid-19 vaccine. Two events are scheduled for Saturday, Jan. 16, and Monday, Jan. 18 from 8 a.m....
Pittsburgh expert: Covid variants are serious, same prevention methods workVideo
As the number of people dying from covid-19 continues to rise, the more infectious coronavirus variants could make things worse, exacerbating the death toll as well as the number of cases. On Wednesday, Ohio researchers discovered two new variants of the coronavirus, including one which has become the dominant strain...
Temporary waiver will allow qualified pharmacists to order, administer covid vaccines
Referring to pharmacies as “critical public health partners” in Pennsylvania’s plan to increase access to covid-19 vaccines, Gov. Tom Wolf approved a temporary waiver to allow state-licensed pharmacists to order and administer the shots once the vaccine is widely available. “Many Pennsylvanians will go to their local pharmacy for vaccination,”...
Expanded vaccine rollout in U.S. spawns new set of problems
The rapid expansion of covid-19 vaccinations to senior citizens across the U.S. has led to bottlenecks, system crashes and hard feelings in many states because of overwhelming demand for the shots. Mississippi’s Health Department stopped taking new appointments the same day it began accepting them because of a “monumental surge”...
Gov. Wolf: Pa. will soon unveil plans to vaccinate older people
Pennsylvania health officials next week will detail their plans to vaccinate older people, Gov. Tom Wolf said. “We should have something specific next week,” he said regarding plans to vaccinate the 65+ demographic. Allegheny County health officials said Wednesday that people 75 and older may have to wait longer to...
Pirates, medical partners could ‘potentially utilize’ PNC Park as a covid-19 vaccination center
The Pittsburgh Pirates are meeting with medical partners at Allegheny Health Network and Highmark to “potentially utilize” PNC Park as a covid-19 vaccination center, a team spokesman confirmed Thursday. “The ballpark can allow for mass vaccinations to be done in a safe and socially distanced manner,” team spokesman Brian Warecki...
Pennsylvania records 313 additional covid deaths, 7,175 more cases
Pennsylvania’s Department of Health on Thursday reported 313 additional covid deaths and 7,175 cases. With the day’s report, there have been 2,764 deaths counted this month, though not all the deaths occurred this month. Of the deaths counted this month 1,201 are from January, 1,547 from December, 12 are from...
Westmoreland County adds 14 covid deaths
Westmoreland County on Thursday added 14 additional covid deaths and 203 cases, the Pennsylvania Department of Health reported. The newly-reported deaths bring the county’s death toll to 516. The county passed 500 reported deaths on Wednesday. There have been 93 deaths attributed to the virus this month in the county....
N.Y. congressman tests positive for virus, latest since breach
NEW YORK — U.S. Rep. Adriano Espaillat said Thursday that he has the coronavirus, making the New York Democrat the latest House member to report testing positive since dozens huddled together for protection during the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. Espaillat said in a release that he was...
Allegheny County reports 499 additional covid cases, 3 deaths
Allegheny County on Thursday reported three new coronavirus deaths, bringing the total number of deaths related to the virus for the county to 1,181. This comes after the county on Wednesday reported 74 deaths, but attributed the large number to a data backlog at the state level. The health department...
Vatican: Pope Francis receives coronavirus vaccine
VATICAN CITY — The Vatican has confirmed Pope Francis received the first shot of the coronavirus vaccine on Thursday. No photos of the 84-yer-old pontiff receiving the shot have been released. The pope has advocated that everyone should get the vaccine, calling it an “ethical option” performed not only for...
WHO team arrives in Wuhan to search for pandemic originsVideo
WUHAN, China — A global team of researchers arrived Thursday in the Chinese city where the coronavirus pandemic was first detected to conduct a politically sensitive investigation into its origins amid uncertainty about whether Beijing might try to prevent embarrassing discoveries. The 10-member team sent to Wuhan by the World...
Older adults in Allegheny County will have to wait for covid vaccine, officials sayVideo
People 75 and older in Allegheny County will have to wait longer to get their shots of covid vaccine as county officials await guidance from the federal government. “We’ve been getting a lot of calls and emails from individuals wanting to know when it will be their turn to be...
Coronavirus vaccine the answer to nuns’ prayers in Hempfield
There have been lots of prayers for relief from the coronavirus pandemic coming from the nuns at Caritas Christi in Hempfield. “I’ve been praying every night and every morning,” said Sister Mary Agnes Kirsch, 85. A bit of hope came to the motherhouse of the Sisters of Charity of Seton...
Fiscal constraints force Pa. to scale back program to help nursing homes battling covid
A shortage of federal funding has caused Pennsylvania to scale back a critical program for assisting long-term care facilities battling covid-19, officials said Wednesday. State officials introduced a new program called Regional Congregate Care Assistance Teams, or RCATs, to support long-term care facilities. It replaces the state’s Regional Response Health...
Pennsylvania covid hospitalizations drop almost 10% in week
The number of patients hospitalized for covid-19 in Pennsylvania has dropped almost 10 percent since last Wednesday. Pennsylvania’s Department of Health reported 5,069 covid-19 patients on Wednesday, a decline of 544 from last Wednesday’s 5,613. The state has 6,004 ventilators, with 1,912 in use, including 645 by covid-19 patients. There...
Westmoreland County surpasses 500 covid deaths
Westmoreland County topped 500 deaths related to the coronavirus Wednesday, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health. The state added 11 new deaths to the county’s total, bringing it to 502. Westmoreland became the 12th county in the state to reach 500 deaths. The county’s death rate per 100,000 residents...
Allegheny County adds 74 covid deaths, 670 new cases
Allegheny County added 74 coronavirus deaths on Wednesday but attributed the large number to a data backlog at the state level. Those deaths bring the county’s total to 1,178. The deaths ranged from Dec. 4 to Jan. 8, with 73 of them from December. The state data includes information imported...
New Pa. websites promote restaurants and show violators of covid measures
New interactive dashboards announced Tuesday by state officials allow users to find open Pennsylvania restaurants, which are offering takeout and those accused of violating covid-19 mitigation measures. The Covid Inspection Dashboard allows users to search restaurants by name, county, city or ZIP code. The dashboard lists whether any violations have...
Pittsburgh Restaurant Week serves up safe ways to dine
Let someone else do the cooking. Winter Pittsburgh Restaurant Week offers diners options – from food specials to limited-time-only dishes – all done safely so you can enjoy a meal during a pandemic. Most places will offer the deals now through Jan. 24, and some longer into February. You can...
