Coronavirus category, Page 202
Remdesivir given go-ahead by FDA for emergency use against coronavirus
WASHINGTON — U.S. regulators on Friday allowed emergency use of an experimental drug that appears to help some coronavirus patients recover faster. It is the first drug shown to help fight COVID-19, which has killed more than 230,000 people worldwide. The FDA said in a statement that Gilead Science’s intravenous...
Stocks slide as Amazon, other companies detail coronavirus fallout
Stocks closed broadly lower on Wall Street on Friday after Amazon and other big companies reported disappointing results, the latest evidence of how the coronavirus pandemic is hobbling the economy and hurting corporate earnings. A day after closing out its best month since 1987, the S&P 500 fell 2.8%. The...
Westmoreland County, neighboring officials disappointed not to be reopening May 8
The Westmoreland County commissioners joined officials from other Southwestern Pennsylvania counties in criticizing Gov. Tom Wolf in not including them with others that will have certain pandemic restrictions lifted beginning next week. Commissioner Sean Kertes was among those Friday expressing disappointment with the governor. “I was hoping that with our...
Teeing off: Pennsylvania golfers back on courses after state eases restrictions
Golfers hit the links again Friday across Western Pennsylvania on the first day courses were allowed to reopen. Gov. Tom Wolf announced the move this week to rollback restrictions on outdoor recreational activities. In addition to golf, that included marinas, some campgrounds and guided fishing tours. Golf courses must follow...
Graduating seniors recognized on Waterfront video board
The Waterfront in Homestead is saluting seniors. Photos of 2020 graduates – high school and college – are being displayed on the video board located at the main entrance to the shopping center near the AMC Theatre. The project launched Friday to help recognize individuals who aren’t going to have...
Completion of Ohiopyle PennDOT project delayed
A construction project in Ohiopyle will not be done by Memorial Day because of delays related to the coronavirus pandemic and CSX railroad, PennDOT officials said Friday. Construction crews are now aiming for July 3 to wrap up work on the $12.4 million project designed to improve pedestrian safety in...
Budget fallout from virus hitting Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
The economic hurt from measures to contain the coronavirus unfolded more Friday, as Pennsylvania state government’s tax collections collapsed in April and, in Philadelphia, Mayor Jim Kenney proposed tax increases and layoffs. The state Revenue Department reported collecting $2.2 billion in April, half of what it had originally expected in...
Lisa Gonzalez, Olivia Bennett and Summer Lee: One way to prevent a worsening crisis? Cancel rent.
Every person in our community needs and deserves a safe place to call home. Yet in the richest country in the world, housing is shamefully unaffordable and people are facing unreasonable struggles to pay the rent. Even before this crisis, nearly 12 million people were spending half of their paychecks...
WHO chief reiterates coronavirus had natural origin
GENEVA — The head of emergencies at the World Health Organization reiterated that the group believes the novel coronavirus is “natural in origin.” Dr. Michael Ryan responded Friday to comments by President Donald Trump, who said he has seen information that the virus may have emerged from a virology institute...
South Dakota Smithfield pork plant will reopen Monday, according to union
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. — A South Dakota pork processing plant will partially reopen Monday after shuttering for more than two weeks because of a coronavirus outbreak that infected hundreds of employees, a union that represents plant workers said Friday. Smithfield Foods asked about 250 employees to report to the plant...
Decline in critical coronavirus patients in Italy continues
ROME — The number of patients in Italy’s intensive care beds is continuing to decline. That’s allowing hospitals to better deal with the covid-19 outbreak, which when it began weeks ago had overwhelmed the national health care system, especially in heavily stricken northern regions. According to health ministry figures released...
New York schools staying closed through spring, Gov. Andrew Cuomo says
ALBANY, N.Y. — New York’s schools and colleges will remain shut through the end of the academic year because of the coronavirus pandemic, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Friday. The order, which applies to 4.2 million students statewide, continues a shutdown that had been set to expire May 15. The Democratic...
California county defies governor’s coronavirus shutdown order
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A rural California county allowed nonessential businesses to reopen and diners to eat in restaurants on Friday, becoming the first to defy Gov. Gavin Newsom’s statewide orders barring such moves during the coronavirus pandemic. Modoc County is “moving forward with our reopening plan,” Modoc County Deputy Director...
Judge orders release of migrants in Florida as coronavirus measure
MIAMI — A federal judge ordered authorities to release hundreds of immigrants from three Florida detention centers to prevent a wider spread of the coronavirus and protect detainees with underlying conditions. U.S. District Court Judge Marcia Cooke issued an order late Thursday for the Immigration and Customs Enforcement to begin...
Carnegie Mellon’s COVIDcast site displays real-time data on pandemic in the U.S.
Carnegie Mellon University unveiled five interactive maps last week on their COVIDcast site, which provides real-time covid-19 indicators across the United States. The maps display real-time data on symptoms, doctor visits, medical tests and browser searches related to covid-19 in the U.S., including estimated disease activity at the county level....
For now, Southwest Pa. must wait as Gov. Wolf eases coronavirus restrictions in 24 northern counties
Counties in Southwestern Pennsylvania are not among those that will see coronavirus-related restrictions eased next week, Gov. Tom Wolf said Friday, and there is little indication as to when more counties can begin the reopening process. Two dozen counties in the Northwest and North-Central parts of the state will move...
No new deaths, 2 more coronavirus cases reported in Westmoreland County
Westmoreland County added two new coronavirus cases to the county’s running tally, state health officials said Friday. Those two cases bring the total to 393, according to the state data. Those cases were reported between 12 a.m. Thursday and 12 a.m. Friday. County coroner Ken Bacha has reported no new...
Pennsylvania adds 1,208 new coronavirus cases, 62 more deaths
The state Department of Health on Friday added 62 more deaths to Pennsylvania’s coronavirus death toll along with another 1,208 positive cases. The new deaths bring the state’s total to 2,354. Five of those deaths were in Allegheny County, where the total now stands at 99. The 1,208 new covid-19...
Allegheny County reports 5 new deaths, 30 more coronavirus cases
The Allegheny County Health Department reported five more deaths and 30 additional cases of the coronavirus Friday, increasing the county’s total deaths to 99 and case count to 1,319. Of the 99 reported deaths, 89 are listed as confirmed cases of covid-19, while 10 are considered probable. The youngest person...
Colin McNickle: Pittsburgh’s road out of coronavirus downturn
Wrestling with a serious coronavirus-induced revenue shortfall, the City of Pittsburgh must cut spending and cannot afford to raise taxes, conclude researchers at the Allegheny Institute for Public Policy. “Now would be a perfect time to look at money-saving proposals — such as privatization and outsourcing — to reduce city...
Allegheny County Jail reports 3 more inmates have coronavirus
Three more Allegheny County Jail inmates have tested positive for the coronavirus, bringing its total number of cases to 27, according to county data. Of those 27, four have recovered or been released. Court and jail officials have been working since March to identify nonviolent inmates who could be released...
Extension granted for Pa. driver’s licenses expiring this month
An extension was granted for Pennsylvanians whose driver’s licenses, photo identification cards and learner’s permits are expiring this month. Expiration dates from March 16 through May 31 are extended to June 30, PennDOT announced Friday. Driver’s license centers statewide have been closed since March 16 amid the coronavirus pandemic. May...
Even if coronavirus restrictions ease, many Americans remain wary of resuming everyday activities
Nearly half of Americans say they won’t be ready to return to public spaces until the coronavirus outbreak is over, even as Pennsylvanians learned Friday that restrictions have been eased in certain parts of the state. According to a CBS News poll of 2,106 people, 48% of respondents said they...
State appoints ‘temporary manager’ for covid-stricken Beaver nursing home
State officials have entered into an agreement to appoint a temporary manager at the Beaver County long-term care facility where more than 50 people have died from covid-19. The Long Hill Co., based in Shelton, Conn., became the temporary manager for the Brighton Rehabilitation and Wellness Center in mid-April, according...
Lori Falce: Truth, math and politics
Do the math. It’s a pithy, sarcastic little phrase that says if you take all of your numbers, line them up and funnel them into the right columns, you will get the answer that you want. There is just one problem. Sometimes that is exactly what happens. The thing about...
