Coronavirus category, Page 153
Report: White House warns Pittsburgh, other cities to get ‘aggressive’ against coronavirus
The White House Coronavirus Task Force coordinator said Pittsburgh and 10 other U.S. cities must take “aggressive” steps to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus, the Center for Public Integrity reported. Dr. Deborah Birx called out Pittsburgh — along with Baltimore, Cleveland, Columbus, Indianapolis, Las Vegas, Miami, Minneapolis, Nashville, New...
Allegheny County launching team to monitor businesses for coronavirus safety guidelines
The Allegheny County Health Department is deploying a new Covid Field Response Team on Thursday to monitor businesses and ensure they are following public health orders, officials announced during a Wednesday news briefing. Team members — 10 people who are contracting with the county — will visit businesses such as...
Democrats press McConnell on coronavirus aid, but some in GOP revoltVideo
WASHINGTON — Despite disarray in the Republican ranks, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell pushed Wednesday to unveil a draft covid-19 aid package as the White House resists Democratic demands for more virus testing, state funding and housing eviction protections. Key GOP senators revolted over the emerging effort as the price...
Gov. Wolf speaks out in support of health secretary after Bloomsburg dunk tank incident
Gov. Tom Wolf came to the defense of Health Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine Wednesday afternoon after her gender identity was again mocked in a public incident. “The covid-19 pandemic has brought hate and transphobia into the spotlight through relentless comments and slurs directed at Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine,...
Ohio joins Pennsylvania in statewide mask mandate
Effective Thursday, it will take more than a trip across the Ohio state line for Pennsylvanians seeking to escape orders requiring face masks in public places. Ohio will join Pennsylvania in having a statewide mask mandate. One day after President Trump took to the airwaves endorsing masks and conceding that...
Pa. State Police Liquor Control continues covid-19 compliance checks
Pennsylvania State Police Liquor Control Enforcement officers conducted compliance checks at 1,876 licensed liquor establishments Monday and Tuesday to see if the businesses were abiding by covid-19 guidelines, officials said Wednesday. Statewide, LCE officers issued one notice of violation and 48 warnings. The unannounced compliance checks are focusing on areas...
Edinboro to remain online this fall; university reverses decision on campus reopening
Edinboro University of Pennsylvania, which previously announced plans to reopen its northwestern Pennsylvania campus in August, will remain largely online this fall. Edinboro President Guiyou Huang announced the about-face on Wednesday. “I realize that this news is being sent after many of you have solidified your return-to-campus arrangements, but in...
AP-NORC poll: Very few Americans back full school reopeningVideo
BOSTON — Virtual instruction. Mandated masks. Physical distancing. The start of school will look very different this year because of the coronavirus — and that’s OK with the vast majority of Americans. Only about 1 in 10 Americans think daycare centers, preschools or K-12 schools should open this fall without...
World virus cases top 15M; U.S. labs buckle amid testing surge
WASHINGTON — Laboratories across the country are buckling under a surge of coronavirus tests, creating long processing delays that experts say are actually undercutting the pandemic response. With the U.S. tally of infections at 3.9 million Wednesday and new cases surging, the bottlenecks are creating problems for workers kept off...
Lebanon County sues Gov. Wolf for withholding $13M in virus funding
A Pennsylvania county sued Wednesday to compel Gov. Tom Wolf to release $12.8 million in federal coronavirus relief funding that he withheld after county leaders defied his shutdown orders and sought to reopen on their own. Wolf yanked the funding from Lebanon County, where local Republican leaders voted in mid-May...
Pennsylvania health department looking to hire more contact tracers, nurses
State health officials are looking to hire more contact tracers and nurses to better control the spread of coronavirus and prepare for any potential surges in covid-19 cases. Contact tracing is the process of identifying, notifying and monitoring anyone who came in close contact with an individual who tested positive...
U.S. signs contract with Pfizer for covid-19 vaccine doses
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration will pay Pfizer nearly $2 billion for a December delivery of 100 million doses of a covid-19 vaccine the pharmaceutical company is developing, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar announced Wednesday. The United States could buy another 500 million doses under the agreement, Azar...
Westmoreland County sees 21 new coronavirus cases, 1 new death
Westmoreland County saw 21 new coronavirus cases and one new death, according to data released Wednesday by the Pennsylvania Department of Health. The death toll attributed to covid-19 in Westmoreland County grew to 41. The county has seen 1,214 cases overall, with 1,180 confirmed and 34 probable. It’s the 22nd...
Pennsylvania adds 25 coronavirus deaths, 631 new cases
The Pennsylvania Department of Health reported 25 coronavirus deaths and 631 new cases on Wednesday. The 25 deaths raise the state’s total to 7,063 attributed to covid-19, while the 631 cases bring the statewide total to 103,396. Wednesday’s report doesn’t include Philadelphia County, whose data wasn’t received. Allegheny County had...
Pitt, Penn State officials support mask wearing efforts, coronavirus mitigation plans
Officials with the University of Pittsburgh, Penn State and Temple University said they are supportive of mask wearing and other mitigation efforts put into place by state officials to help reduce the spread of the coronavirus. All three universities plan to offer in-person classes this fall. “Penn State is finalizing...
Allegheny County reports 96 new coronavirus cases, 8 deaths
Allegheny County dropped below 100 new covid-19 cases for the first time in nine days but saw a rise in both deaths and hospitalizations. The county reported 96 new cases, eight deaths and 16 hospitalizations on Wednesday, with the eight deaths the highest recorded since mid-May. The new cases bring...
California surpasses 400,000 covid-19 cases as state sets record for infections, death tollVideo
LOS ANGELES — One day after a record-breaking number of new coronavirus infections, California has surpassed 400,000 overall cases, data from the Los Angeles Times tracker show. By comparison, the New York Health Department has reported more than 408,000 infections. But that state has reported more than 25,000 deaths, while...
Trump says virus in U.S. will get worse before it gets betterVideo
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump warned on Tuesday that the “nasty horrible’” coronavirus will get worse in the U.S. before it gets better, but he also tried to paint a rosy picture of efforts with governors to conquer the disease that has claimed more than 140,000 American lives in just...
Westmoreland offering signing bonuses to beef up Manor nursing staff
Westmoreland Manor will again offer bonuses to attract new nurses to the county-owned nursing home. Officials said there are 23 nursing vacancies at the home — and with hospitals, independent care facilities and other health care institutions looking to hire — officials said the additional cash is needed to attract...
Coronavirus infections far exceed reported cases, CDC estimatesVideo
Far more people were infected with the novel coronavirus than previously reported in several corners of the United States, according to data released Tuesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The agency conducted a survey looking at antibodies to the virus in 10 U.S. regions. It found prevalence...
Westmoreland County jail reports 2nd covid-19 case, tests 17 more inmates
A second inmate at Westmoreland County Prison has tested positive for coronavirus. Warden John Walton said Tuesday that routine testing of newly booked quarantined inmates confirmed the positive result on July 17, a week after that person entered the Hempfield facility. “This person was asymptomatic,” Walton said. Prison officials confirmed...
WVU mandates covid-19 testing and education; Pitt to require students to quarantine
West Virginia University will require students to get a covid-19 test and complete an education module on the virus prior to returning to campus next month. Those who fail to meet those requirements could be fined $250, school officials warned Tuesday. Like colleges across the region, WVU has published a...
Warrendale-based rue21 plans to open 3 new stores amid pandemic
Warrendale-based rue21 found a way to make it through a trying time for retailers during the coronavirus pandemic. While some specialty stores filed for bankruptcy or closed, rue21 will open brick-and-mortar stores in South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas this month, according to a press release. The company sells casual apparel...
Bloomsburg Fair denounced for dunk tank mocking Pa. Health Secretary Rachel Levine
A fair in Eastern Pennsylvania was criticized this week for perceived mocking of Health Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine in a dunk tank. At the Columbia-Montour County Fireman’s Relief Carnival, hosted by the Bloomsburg Fair, a man wearing a dress and wig sat on the dunk pedestal, claiming to resemble Levine....
Pennsylvania reports 1,027 new covid-19 cases
The Pennsylvania Department of Health reported 1,027 new coronavirus cases and 20 new deaths Tuesday. Tuesday’s reported cases represent the second time in the last six days that cases surpassed 1,000 cases, as 1,032 cases were reported Friday. However, cases in the 700 range were reported four times in that...
