Pa. health secretary concerned about lingering effects of covid-19 on ‘recovered’ patients
A person is generally considered recovered from covid-19 about 30 days after they test positive or exhibit symptoms, according to state health officials. But that doesn’t mean the virus-stricken person has returned to normal health, Pennsylvania Secretary of Health Rachel Levine said Wednesday. She called people who have lingering effects...
How to survive ‘twindemic’ of flu and coronavirus
With flu season approaching and covid-19 still spreading, public health officials are warning of a “twindemic.” Local health experts are emphasizing increased vigilance this year. Flu shots Doctors generally recommend flu shots. This year, it’s more important than ever, said Dr. Amy Crawford-Faucher of the Allegheny Health Network, where she...
Pittsburgh doctors hopeful flu season will be mild
UPMC doctors on Tuesday said there is optimism among experts that this year’s flu season will be mild, but they cautioned that everyone should get a flu vaccine and continue covid-19 mitigation efforts, such as masking and social distancing. The doctors stressed those mitigation efforts are the best defense against...
Covid-19 cases rising among U.S. children as schools reopen
After preying heavily on the elderly in the spring, the coronavirus is increasingly infecting American children and teens in a trend authorities say appears driven by school reopenings and the resumption of sports, playdates and other activities. Children of all ages now make up 10% of all U.S cases, up...
West Nile virus found in Greensburg mosquito
Officials with Pennsylvania’s West Nile virus control program reported the first positive case of the virus this year among mosquitoes sampled in Westmoreland County. The case was identified in a sample taken the second week of September in Greensburg — as the seasonal virus surveillance and testing program was approaching...
U.S. experts vow ‘no cutting corners’ as vaccine tests expandVideo
WASHINGTON — A huge international study of a covid-19 vaccine that aims to work with just one dose is getting underway as top U.S. health officials sought Wednesday to assure a skeptical Congress and public that they can trust any shots the government ultimately approves. Hopes are high that answers...
Late-stage study of first single-shot vaccine begins in U.S.Video
Johnson & Johnson is beginning a huge final study to try to prove if a single-dose covid-19 vaccine can protect against the virus. The study starting Wednesday will be one of the world’s largest coronavirus vaccine studies so far, testing the shot in 60,000 volunteers in the U.S., South Africa,...
CDC guidelines recommend avoiding trick-or-treating during HalloweenVideo
The Centers for Disease Control has advised against door-to-door trick-or-treating, attending crowded and indoor parties and wearing costume masks this Halloween to prevent the spread of covid-19. The health agency released new guidelines this week that outlined several traditional Halloween activities that could be high-risk for spreading viruses and offered...
Pennsylvania nears launch of new health insurance website
Pennsylvania is getting ready to launch its own website to sell Affordable Care Act-compliant policies that will replace the federally operated Healthcare.gov to enroll people for the 2021 insurance year, state officials said Tuesday. It is named “Pennie” and lawmakers approved the idea last year in a bid to get...
Pittsburgh officials to hear from outside experts about how to tackle lead issues
Children who live in Pittsburgh remain more likely to have higher lead levels than those who live in other areas of the country, according to the Allegheny County Health Department. City officials are working to change that trend. For several years, Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority has worked to replace...
Tips for seniors back exercising after being less active because of the pandemicVideo
Ivan Engel of Squirrel Hill has advice for fellow seniors working out for the first time since not exercising for the past six months because of the pandemic. “Know your limits,” said the 73-year-old after a grueling 45-minute spinning class and half an hour of stretching on Sept. 9 at...
5 of the best exercises for seniors
According to seniorlifestyle.com, here are some of the best exercises for seniors: Walking One of the least stressful and accessible forms of exercise is walking. For some seniors, walking is a bigger challenge than others, so distance and step goals differ from person to person. Water aerobics Exercising in the...
Allegheny County Health Department announces walk-in flu shot clinic in Pittsburgh
The Allegheny County Health Department announced that they will be offering flu vaccines beginning next week at the Immunization Clinic in Downtown Pittsburgh. The department will administer walk-in flu shots from 9 a.m. till 3:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, starting Sept. 21. There will be additional evening hours on Thursdays...
Wilkes-Barre hospital accused of altering records wants case sealed
A Pennsylvania hospital wants a judge to seal all records and issue a gag order in a long-running wrongful death suit that alleges hospital officials altered the medical records of a 44-year-old man who died after going to the emergency room with chest pain and breathing difficulties. In an unusual...
CDC drops controversial testing advice that caused backlashVideo
NEW YORK — U.S. health officials on Friday dropped a controversial piece of coronavirus guidance and is now advising anyone who has been in close contact with an infected person get tested. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention essentially returned to its previous testing guidance, getting rid of language...
Murrysville woman, 20, appointed to national Crohn’s advocacy board
For Rachel Stackiewicz, enjoying most meals is a temporary pleasure at best. Stackiewicz, 20, of Murrysville, has been living since age 11 with Crohn’s disease, a chronic inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract. Along with ulcerative colitis, it is one of two illnesses classified as inflammatory bowel disease, or IBD. “Every...
Growing older: Number of centenarians on the rise in U.S.
Sounds of honking horns, cheering crowds and bouts of “happy birthday” wafted through normally quiet neighborhoods this year as friends and family, not letting the coronavirus pandemic stop them, celebrated loved ones turning 100. The number of centenarians around the world is on the rise, data show, a generation of...
Paralympic sled hockey hopeful inspired by friend facing similar challengesVideo
Survivor’s “Eye of the Tiger” plays in the background. Two young men – one in a wheelchair and the other with forearm crutches – are working hard. It’s a sweltering 90-degree day at Piff’s Power and Fitness in Youngwood. Personal trainer Lou Rocco bellows out instructions to one his clients....
AstraZeneca, Oxford University to resume trials of virus vaccine
LONDON — Oxford University says trials of a coronavirus vaccine its developing with pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca will resume, days after pausing due to a reported side effect in a patient in Britain. The university says in large trials “it is expected that some participants will become unwell and every case...
Older Black Americans more likely to die from covid-19 than any other group
Old. Chronically ill. Black. People who fit this description are more likely to die from covid-19 than any other group in the country. They are perishing quietly, out of sight, in homes and apartment buildings, senior housing complexes, nursing homes and hospitals, disproportionately poor, frail and ill, after enduring a...
Experts weigh in on best time to get a flu vaccine
When is the best time to get the flu vaccine? Most medical experts say as soon as possible — and certainly by the end of October. “With the potential for flu and covid-19 co-occurring, we need everyone to take steps to prevent overrunning our health systems,” said state Department of...
NIH: Halted AstraZeneca vaccine study shows ‘no compromises’ on safety
AstraZeneca’s suspension of final testing of its potential covid-19 vaccine while it investigates a volunteer’s illness shows there will be “no compromises” on safety in developing the shots, the chief of the National Institutes of Health told Congress on Wednesday. “This ought to be reassuring,” NIH Director Dr. Francis Collins...
AstraZeneca covid-19 vaccine study paused after one illnessVideo
Late-stage studies of AstraZeneca’s covid-19 vaccine candidate are on temporary hold while the company investigates whether a recipient’s “potentially unexplained” illness is a side effect of the shot. In a statement issued Tuesday evening, the company said its “standard review process triggered a pause to vaccination to allow review of...
Quick Drip IV brings hydration therapy trend to South SideVideo
In a neighborhood known to attract people drinking their way to a hangover, Bo Trasada offers to help replenish the fluids and vitamins these individuals might have lost. He opened Quick Drip IV, a trendy intravenous hydration salon on Pittsburgh’s South Side. “An IV is the most efficient way to...
Companies working on coronavirus vaccines pledge to put science above politicsVideo
The chief executives of nine drug manufacturers leading the race to produce vaccines against the coronavirus signed a joint pledge Tuesday in an effort to boost public confidence in any vaccines that are ultimately approved by the Food and Drug Administration or similar agencies around the world. The companies said...
