Coronavirus category, Page 64
Covid cases jump in Allegheny, Westmoreland, Pennsylvania
More covid cases were reported Friday in Allegheny County than at any point in the past 10 days, according to the most recent health department data. An additional 346 cases were announced Friday, bumping the county’s seven-day average up to 262. That’s the highest level for that metric since March...
CDC changes school guidance, allowing desks to be closer
NEW YORK — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention relaxed its social distancing guidelines for schools Friday, saying students can now sit 3 feet apart in classrooms. The revised covid-19 recommendations represent a turn away from the 6-foot standard that has forced some schools to remove desks, stagger scheduling...
Levine pressed for answers on Pa.’s missing nursing home data as confirmation advances
Spotlight PA is an independent, non-partisan newsroom powered by The Philadelphia Inquirer in partnership with PennLive/The Patriot-News, TribLIVE/Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, and WITF Public Media. Sign up for our free newsletters. HARRISBURG — Former Pennsylvania Health Secretary Rachel Levine is under pressure from U.S. House Republicans to provide more details about the...
Biden says U.S. to hit 100 million covid shots on Friday
WASHINGTON — With the U.S. closing in on President Joe Biden’s goal of injecting 100 million coronavirus vaccinations weeks ahead of his target date, officials announced on Thursday the nation is now in position to help supply neighbors Canada and Mexico. The Biden administration announced the outlines of a plan...
Pa. vaccine provider map gets face-lift, officials still aim for May 1 open eligibilityVideo
The Pennsylvania Department of Health appears to be inching toward a more centralized system for finding and making covid-19 vaccine appointments as officials work to make a map of providers more accessible and more interactive. Health officials touted the updates to the map, which right now is the sole place...
Biden plans to send AstraZeneca covid shots to Mexico, Canada
The U.S. is planning to send a combined 4 million doses of the AstraZeneca covid-19 vaccine to Mexico and Canada in its first export of shots, the White House said Thursday. Press secretary Jen Psaki said the Biden administration is in the process of finalizing efforts to distribute 2.5 million...
Allegheny, Westmoreland counties covid cases, deaths stable; Pennsylvania surpasses 12% fully vaccinated
In Pennsylvania, the number of people vaccinated from the coronavirus has continued to climb, while covid cases and deaths have remained relatively stable. In Allegheny County on Thursday there was a slight uptick in new cases and hospitalizations. Westmoreland County saw a decrease in cases and one new death. And...
EU agency: AstraZeneca vaccine safe, will add clot warning
The European Union’s drug regulatory agency said Thursday that the AstraZeneca vaccine doesn’t increase the overall risk of blood clots and that the benefits of using it outweigh the risks, paving the way for European countries to resume dispensing the shots. Several European nations, including Germany, France, Italy and Spain,...
Italy honors covid dead with living monument on anniversary
ROME — Italy inaugurated a living monument to its covid-19 dead Thursday as it marked the anniversary of one of the most haunting moments of the pandemic: when Bergamo’s death toll reached such heights that an army convoy had to transport coffins out because its cemeteries and crematoriums were full....
France set to unveil new restrictions amid covid-19 spike
PARIS — France is set to announce new coronavirus restrictions on Thursday, including a potential lockdown in the Paris region and in the north of the country, as the number of covid-19 patients in intensive care units spikes. “We will make the decisions we need to make,” French President Emmanuel...
Vaccine eligibility to expand in Allegheny County, but on certain conditionsVideo
The Allegheny County Health Department will expand eligibility for its vaccine distribution — starting Friday — to include people 50 and older who have certain health conditions. Up to this point, the department has only been vaccinating people 65 and older, citing vaccine supply constraints. Dr. Debra Bogen, the county’s...
Pennsylvania sets out to tackle disparities highlighted by pandemic
Health and social services officials hope a data-driven approach — one focused not on equality, but equity – will help begin to move the life-expectancy needle higher in some of Pennsylvania’s most disparate areas. The goal of the region-based coalitions, called Regional Accountable Health Councils, is in essence to lift...
In a first for UPMC, this drive-thru clinic treated 500 vaccine seekers eager to roll up their sleeves
Five hundred people got their first dose of the Moderna vaccine at the launch of a drive-thru clinic Wednesday at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex in Cranberry. The hospital system is partnering with the Pittsburgh Penguins to continue a covid-19 community vaccination event series. On Monday, the two teamed up...
New covid cases for Allegheny, Westmoreland, Pa. remain above 7-day average
Allegheny and Westmoreland counties, as well as Pennsylvania, all reported new coronavirus cases higher than their seven-day averages on Wednesday. Allegheny added 285 cases, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health, 38 higher than its seven-day average of 247. Westmoreland’s 73 additional cases are above its average of 65, while...
Experts: Virus surge in Europe a cautionary tale for U.S.
Optimism is spreading in the U.S. as covid-19 deaths plummet and states ease restrictions and open vaccinations to younger adults. But across Europe, dread is setting in with another wave of infections that is closing schools and cafes and bringing new lockdowns. The pandemic’s diverging paths on the two continents...
Adam Marles: A year full of lessons on covid’s impact on older Americans
A year ago, the Wolf administration did something both unthinkable and absolutely necessary: It closed nursing homes to all visitors to combat the covid-19 virus. Long-term caregivers understood that isolating residents from their families was vital in protecting them from a deadly illness, but it was an agonizing decision because...
CDC: Nearly everyone is returning for 2nd covid-19 shotVideo
More than 95% of the people who have received the first dose of the two-shot coronavirus vaccine regimen have returned on time for their second, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says. The public health agency saw the statistics, which it compiled between Dec. 14 and Feb. 14,...
Pa. health official says all Phase 1A appointments should be scheduled by March 31
Vaccine providers across the state should have all appointments for people in Phase 1A scheduled by the end of the month, Acting Secretary of Health Alison Beam said in a new order Monday. The order amends a previous one from February, adding a subsection requiring providers to “use best efforts”...
Many Pa. indoor venue owners say Wolf’s easing of restrictions isn’t enough
While many in the hospitality industry cautiously celebrated the coming return of bar service and 2 a.m. last calls, others in the entertainment industry expressed dismay at the comparatively low capacity levels covid-19 restrictions keep them at. Gov. Tom Wolf on Monday announced he would roll back a slew of...
Moderna begins testing its covid-19 vaccine in children as young as 6 monthsVideo
Moderna Inc. said it has begun delivering experimental doses of its covid-19 vaccine to children as part of a study to determine whether it is safe and effective in those as young as 6 months. The trial aims to enroll about 6,750 volunteers in the United States and Canada. The...
Allegheny County’s covid hospitalization number drops to October level
Allegheny County has its fewest number of covid-19 patients hospitalized since October, according to the latest state Department of Health data. On Tuesday, there were 135 covid patients hospitalized, down from 153 on Monday. That number has decreased since 172 were hospitalized on Thursday. Tuesday’s number was the lowest since...
Allegheny County Health Department adds new vaccination sites
The Allegheny County Health Department announced Tuesday that it will be opening three new covid-19 vaccine locations before the end of March. The sites will include a temporary site in Oakland, a site for targeted outreach in the Central Hill District and a community vaccine location in Ross, according to...
‘I don’t need the vaccine’: GOP worries threaten virus fight
FRONT ROYAL, Va. — In this rural swath of Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley, former President Donald Trump remains deeply admired, with lawn signs and campaign flags still dotting the landscape. The vaccines aimed at taming the coronavirus, however, aren’t so popular. Laura Biggs, a 56-year-old who has already recovered from the...
Brazil’s Bolsonaro eyes 4th health minister as covid rages
SAO PAULO — Brazil’s health minister Eduardo Pazuello said on Monday that President Jair Bolsonaro is planning to replace him amid the worst throes of covid-19 in the country yet and after a series of errors decried by public health experts. One of the candidates to replace him, a renowned...
Kane Community Living Centers resume visitation
The Kane Community Living Centers in Allegheny County will resume family visitations for patients, Director Dennis Biondo announced Monday. Visitation has been restricted since early in the pandemic. But, last week, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services released updated guidance for nursing home visitation, prompting many states and individual...
