Coronavirus category, Page 63
Penn State recommends covid-19 testing students as cases continue to rise
As cases of covid-19 continue rising on Penn State’s campus, the university has again — “out of an abundance of caution” — recommended that all students in three more dorms get tested. Students living in Pollock’s Beaver Hall and the East’s Geary and Packer halls were urged Monday to either...
Chicago sees ‘worrying’ uptick in covid-19 cases
CHICAGO — Chicago experienced a significant spike in covid-19 cases in the last week, triggering fresh concerns Tuesday from the city’s top health officials. The average number of confirmed daily cases in the nation’s third-largest city was 350 Tuesday, up 23% from 285 the week before, according to city data....
More than 100,000 educators in Pa. vaccinated through state initiative
More than 100,000 educators have been vaccinated through a Pennsylvania initiative using the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, state officials announced Tuesday. A total of 102,161 school teachers and staff have gotten the vaccine since the initiative got started across Pennsylvania. “Vaccinating more than 100,000 teachers and staff in less than...
Allegheny County, Pennsylvania see covid hospitalizations go up again
While progress had been made for covid hospitalizations in the past month, numbers appear to be going up again. Hospitalizations in the state and Allegheny County have been generally increasing over the past week, while Westmoreland County’s numbers tell a different story, according to state Department of Health data. Hospitalizations...
In Pittsburgh, a push to prioritize restaurant, hospitality workers for covid vaccines
Pittsburgh City Council members are calling on the state Health Department to add restaurant, service and hospitality workers to the prioritized group that’s receiving the covid-19 vaccines. The measure, sponsored by Councilman Corey O’Connor, was unanimously approved Tuesday as a will of council. It asks Pennsylvania Acting Secretary of Health...
U.S. health officials: AstraZeneca may have used outdated info in vaccine trialVideo
WASHINGTON — AstraZeneca may have included “outdated information” in touting the effectiveness of its covid-19 vaccine in a U.S. study, federal health officials said Tuesday in an unusual public rift that could further erode confidence in the shot. In response, AstraZeneca said that it is working on more up-to-date information...
Pa. updates mask guidance for fully vaccinated residents
The Pennsylvania Department of Health has amended its mask mandate, updating guidance for fully vaccinated residents to fall in line with federal guidelines, officials said Monday. A previous state order went into effect that loosened mask restrictions in certain circumstances. “The vaccines that are currently available across the state and...
Westmoreland commissioners to hold info session on coronavirus vaccines
Westmoreland County’s Republican commissioners want the public to learn about coronavirus vaccines and will convene a webinar this week to pass along information they said will allow residents to make a more informed decision about whether they will join the ongoing immunity effort. Commissioners Doug Chew and Sean Kertes said...
Pennsylvania closing in on 1 million covid cases as numbers continue to creep upward
New cases of the coronavirus continue to see a week-over-week increase at state and county levels in Pennsylvania, according to numbers released Monday by the Department of Health. There were 3,920 new cases of covid-19 recorded in the state over the past two days, the Department of Health reported Monday....
Hungary approves 2 more vaccines from outside EU amid spike
BUDAPEST, Hungary — Hungary has issued initial approval to two more covid-19 vaccines from outside the European Union’s common procurement program, officials said Monday, further expanding the national supply of jabs that has given the country one of the highest vaccination rates in the 27-member bloc. The Hungarian medicines regulator...
Putin to get coronavirus vaccine shot in Russia on Tuesday
MOSCOW — President Vladimir Putin said he will get a coronavirus vaccine shot on Tuesday, several months after widespread vaccination has started in Russia. Kremlin opponents have criticized Putin for not getting vaccinated amid a comparatively slow rollout of the shot in Russia, arguing that his reluctance is fueling the...
Germany looks set to extend lockdown measures again
BERLIN — German authorities are expected to extend lockdown measures again on Monday and possibly tighten some restrictions as they face a steady rise in new coronavirus infections. Chancellor Angela Merkel and the country’s 16 state governors, who in highly decentralized Germany are responsible for imposing and lifting restrictions, are...
AstraZeneca: U.S. data shows vaccine effective for all ages
LONDON — AstraZeneca’s covid-19 vaccine provided strong protection against sickness and eliminated hospitalizations and deaths from the disease across all age groups in a late-stage study in the United States, the company announced Monday. AstraZeneca said its experts did not identify any safety concerns related to the vaccine, including finding...
Married 66 years, husband, wife die minutes apart from coronavirus
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Bill and Esther Ilnisky spent nearly seven decades together as Christian ministers and missionaries, working in the Caribbean and Middle East before preaching for 40 years in Florida. They complemented each other — he the bookworm, she outgoing and charismatic. One without the other seemed unthinkable....
Rapid covid-19 vaccine rollout backfired in some U.S. states
Despite the clamor to speed up the U.S. vaccination drive against covid-19 and get the country back to normal, the first three months of the rollout suggest faster is not necessarily better. A surprising new analysis found that states such as South Carolina, Florida and Missouri that raced ahead of...
Miami sets earlier curfew after spring break crowds, fights
MIAMI — Officials are imposing an emergency 8 p.m.-6 a.m. curfew for Miami Beach, effective immediately after hard partying Spring Breakers trashed restaurants, brawled in the streets and gathered by the thousands without masks or social distancing, according to authorities. At a news conference, officials blamed overwhelming and out-of-control spring...
U.K. says half of all adults there have received 1 dose of virus vaccine
LONDON — The U.K. says half of the country’s adults have received at least one dose of covid-19 vaccine. The National Health Service has put shots in the arms of 26.9 million people, or 51% of the adult population, according to the latest government statistics. The NHS passed the halfway...
Germany: police clash with protesters against virus measures
BERLIN — Protesters in Germany clashed with police Saturday over coronavirus measures, with officers using water cannons, pepper spray and batons against people trying to break through police barriers, German news agency dpa reported. Protests against government measures to rein in the pandemic also were reported in several other countries...
Covid cases spiking rapidly in Pennsylvania and Allegheny, Westmoreland counties
The latest covid-19 spike that health officials have been warning about appears to have arrived in Pennsylvania. On Saturday, the state posted 4,213 new covid cases, the highest single-day tally since Feb. 7 (4,717). Over the past week, the seven-day average of new cases (2,888) has risen more than 16%....
Life during covid: Windber woman offers helping hand in a variety of ways
Editor’s note: This is part of an occasional series examining how the coronavirus pandemic has affected the lives of members of our community. Donna LaMonaca is no stranger to helping others. A little less than a year ago, as the covid-19 pandemic ramped up across the world, the Windber resident...
University of Pittsburgh sees spike in covid cases
The University of Pittsburgh said it has seen an 83% spike in new covid cases this past week and four of its campuses are in a “guarded risk posture.” Thirty-six students have tested positive for coronavirus since March 16, and 45 are in isolation at the Oakland campus, according to...
Small pharmacies ‘beyond frustrated’ as Pennsylvania locks them out of vaccine process
As Pennsylvania officials work to roll back the number of covid-19 vaccine providers in an effort to streamline the process, several businesses across the region have learned they are slated to no longer receive first doses. Efforts to curtail the number of providers began in February, when Acting Secretary of...
Western Pa. districts welcome new student social distancing guidelines
News of updated student social distancing guidelines was met with enthusiasm Friday at Burrell School District, where Superintendent Shannon Wagner said about 70% of students have chosen in-person learning throughout the school year. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines will allow schools to relax social distancing measures in...
West Virginia announces 20 more unreported covid-19 deaths
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice said Friday that 20 coronavirus deaths went unreported, on top of the 165 deaths he announced last week that were previously not publicized. The Republican governor vowed a “complete investigation, all the way down, to pinpoint exactly where the shortcomings are.” Those...
Michigan requires teen athlete testing amid climbing covid case rates
LANSING, Mich. — Michigan on Friday eased outdoor stadium capacity restrictions before baseball’s Opening Day but ordered weekly testing of teen athletes amid a climbing coronavirus case rate that ranks fourth nationally over the past week. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said, for now, she does not plan to tighten covid-19 restrictions...
