In protests, police using rubber bullets that can kill, blind or maim for life
In cities across the country, police departments have attempted to quell unrest spurred by the death of George Floyd by firing rubber bullets into crowds, even though five decades of evidence shows such weapons can disable, disfigure and even kill. In addition to rubber bullets — which often have a...
Scientist defends Sweden’s hotly debated virus strategy
Sweden’s chief epidemiologist on Wednesday defended his country’s controversial coronavirus strategy, which avoided a lockdown but resulted in one of the highest per capita COVID-19 death rates in the world. Anders Tegnell of the Public Health Agency denied that “the Swedish strategy was wrong and should be changed. That’s not...
UK study finds minorities at higher risk of COVID-19 death
People from ethnic minorities have died from COVID-19 in larger relative numbers in England than their white compatriots, according to a study published by health authorities Tuesday. The Public Health England report hinted at reasons for the discrepancy but didn’t offer any recommendations. The government didn’t offer any solutions, prompting...
Monkeys, ferrets offer needed clues in covid-19 vaccine race
The global race for a covid-19 vaccine boils down to some critical questions: How much must the shots rev up someone’s immune system to really work? And could revving it the wrong way cause harm? Even as companies recruit tens of thousands of people for larger vaccine studies this summer,...
Masks and social distancing work, new analysis finds
Masks and social distancing can help control the coronavirus but hand washing and other measures are still needed, a new analysis finds. Researchers concluded single-layer cloth masks are less effective than surgical masks, while tight-fitting N95 masks provide the best protection. A distance of more than 3 feet between people...
Western Pa. experts weigh chances of catching coronavirus from contaminated objects
Fears about catching coronavirus from contaminated surfaces have driven some people to become compulsive about cleaning countertops and wiping down their groceries. As the pandemic took hold, some poison centers even reported increased calls about excessive exposure to cleaning agents. In recent weeks, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention...
Covid-19 lockdown costs Allegheny Health Network hospitals $160M in revenue; system gets $300M in federal aid
Allegheny Health Network hospitals lost $160 million in revenue from mid-March through April, when the coronavirus lockdown halted elective procedures at health care facilities statewide, financial forms filed Friday show. Volumes plunged by about 50% as slews of nonurgent surgeries were canceled and hospitals prepared for a possible surge in...
U.S. Health Secretary says feds investigating Brighton nursing home coronavirus outbreak
U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar questioned Friday whether Pennsylvania officials have been “aggressive enough” in flagging and enforcing violations at Brighton Rehabilitation and Wellness Center, where at least 76 residents have died of covid-19. Azar discussed the Trump administration’s concerns over the Beaver County nursing home’s coronavirus...
UPMC to get $1 billion in federal aid after hard hit from coronavirus pandemic
UPMC is slated to get more than $1 billion in aid from the federal government as Pennsylvania’s largest hospital system confronts volume plunging by 70% during the pandemic-spurred shutdown. In the last two weeks of March, after the Wolf administration’s state shutdown began and thousands of elective procedures were halted,...
Organ transplants surge at UPMC during pandemic
UPMC performed a record-high number of lung and liver transplants in April, even as the covid-19 pandemic and ensuing lockdown caused the health system’s overall revenue and volume to plummet, executives said. UPMC doctors did 12 lung transplants during the month of April, up from an average of six such...
Cancer, coronavirus are a dangerous mix, new studies find
New research shows how dangerous the coronavirus is for current and former cancer patients. Those who developed covid-19 were much more likely to die within a month than people without cancer who got it, two studies found. They are the largest reports on people with both diseases in the United...
Zachary’s Mission celebrates 10 years of caring with Facebook giveaway
Patricia and Robert Vince could have let grief consume them when their son, Zachary, died 15 days after his birth. Instead, the Greensburg couple reached out to help others. Over the years, they’ve built a lasting memorial to their middle son and assisted thousands of families with medically fragile children...
U.N. virus therapy trial pauses hydroxychloroquine testing because of safety concerns
GENEVA — The World Health Organization said Monday that it will temporarily drop hydroxychloroquine — the anti-malarial drug President Trump says he is taking — from its global study into experimental covid-19 treatments, saying that its experts need to review all available evidence to date. In a press briefing, WHO...
‘Last responders’ seek to expand postmortem COVID-19 testing in unexplained deaths
Examining dead bodies and probing for a cause of death is rarely seen as a heroic or glamorous job. Rather, as the coronavirus pandemic has unfolded, all eyes have been on the medical workers and public health disease detectives fighting on the front lines — and sometimes giving their lives...
380 layoffs announced across Allegheny Health Network, Highmark Health, another affiliate
Allegheny Health Network officials announced that AHN and two affiliates are laying off about 380 employees, mostly as the result of the covid-19 pandemic. About 250 of the job cuts mostly are from AHN’s corporate and administrative services, in addition to some clinical support staff, spokeswoman Lynn Seay said via...
U.S. births fall, and coronavirus could drive them down more
NEW YORK — U.S. births continued to fall last year, leading to the fewest number of newborns in 35 years. The decline is the latest sign of a prolonged national “baby bust” that’s been going on for more than a decade. And some experts believe the coronavirus pandemic and its...
CDC issues detailed reopening guidance after initial rejectionVideo
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued a 60-page document that provides detailed suggestions for different phases of reopening workplaces, schools and restaurants, after an earlier draft was rejected by the White House for being too prescriptive. The document, which expands on several tools the agency released last...
Free coronavirus testing available for uninsured Pennsylvania residents
The ability of uninsured Pennsylvanians to be tested for coronavirus was an early concern in the fight against covid-19. Now those without health insurance can be tested for free. Gov. Tom Wolf has announced that federal stimulus funds will be used to reimburse providers who test uninsured patients. Access to...
Johnson & Johnson to stop selling talc-based baby powder in U.S., Canada
FAIRLESS HILLS — Johnson & Johnson is ending sales of its iconic talc-based Johnson’s Baby Powder in the United States and Canada, where demand has dwindled amid thousands of lawsuits claiming it has caused cancer. The world’s biggest maker of health care products said Tuesday the talc-based powder will still...
Study: World carbon pollution falls 17% during pandemic peak
KENSINGTON, Md. — The world cut its daily carbon dioxide emissions by 17% at the peak of the pandemic shutdown last month, a new study found. But with life and heat-trapping gas levels inching back toward normal, the brief pollution break will likely be “a drop in the ocean” when...
My ‘decision to make’: Trump defends criticized use of malaria drugVideo
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump emphatically defended himself Tuesday against criticism from medical experts that his announced use of a malaria drug against the coronavirus could spark wide misuse by Americans of the unproven treatment with potentially fatal side effects. Trump’s revelation a day earlier that he was taking hydroxychloroquine...
4 more covid-19 cases reported in Westmoreland County; no new deaths
Westmoreland County on Sunday continued to report no new deaths from the coronavirus, but did see an increase in positive covid-19 cases. State officials said 427 people have tested positive for the virus as of Sunday, an increase of four from Saturday. Neither the coroner nor state officials reported any...
Pennsylvania reports 15 more coronavirus deaths, 623 additional cases
Pennsylvania on Sunday reported 15 more covid-19 deaths and 623 additional cases, bringing the state’s total number of cases to 62,234, state officials said. A total of 4,418 people have died from the virus, which has been reported in all of the state’s 67 counties. More than 270,600 people have...
U.S. health secretary won’t criticize over crowded bars, beaches
WASHINGTON — Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar is declining to criticize local leaders amid images of crowded bars and boardwalks in areas where coronavirus restrictions are being lifted. Azar told CNN in an interview Sunday that “the president has left it up to states to know their local...
Group buys Alabama abortion clinic to keep it from closing
MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Conservative lawmakers in Alabama last year tried to enact the nation’s most stringent abortion ban, but the attempt to outlaw the procedure may have had one ironic twist. An Alabama-based abortion rights group used a flood of donations that poured in from across the country after the...