Covid-19 vaccine hunt heats up globally, still no guaranteeVideo
WASHINGTON — Hundreds of people are rolling up their sleeves in countries across the world to be injected with experimental vaccines that might stop covid-19, spurring hope — maybe unrealistic — that an end to the pandemic may arrive sooner than anticipated. About 100 groups are pursuing vaccines with nearly...
Allegheny Health Network expands access to drive-up coronavirus tests
Allegheny Health Network is expanding drive-up covid-19 testing to patients of non-AHN affiliated health care providers. The patients will need a doctor’s order to be tested. The drive-up testing started in March and is now available at seven locations in the region. “At AHN, drive-up testing for covid-19 is part...
Farmers markets scaling down with eye on safety due to virus
DETROIT — For a dozen years, Johnny Gyergyou has sold meat, poultry and eggs from his Berlin Township livestock farm at Eastern Market in Detroit. Lately, he’s been staying home as fear of the COVID-19 virus has kept thousands of shoppers away from the popular venue northeast of downtown. “The...
‘I died and came back’: 12-year-old recovers from virus
COVINGTON, La. — As her desperately sick daughter was being airlifted to a hospital, Jennifer Daly was thinking about all the parts of life that still lay ahead for her 12-year-old and whether she’d ever experience them: Would she get to fall in love? Would she get the chance to...
White House blocking Fauci testimony, panel spokesman says
WASHINGTON — A spokesman for a key House panel said Friday that the White House has blocked Dr. Anthony Fauci from testifying next week at a hearing on the coronavirus outbreak. House Appropriations Committee spokesman Evan Hollander said the panel sought Fauci — the highly respected director of the National...
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...
May is National Lyme Disease Awareness MonthVideo
With the prospect of quarantine measures slowly being lifted across the state in the coming weeks, many Pennsylvanians are relishing the prospect of getting outside and enjoying warming spring weather. Unfortunately, not only will they have the specter of the coronavirus hanging in the air, they’ll also have tick nymphs...
Herd immunity with coronavirus stirs debate, but experts say it comes at a deadly cost
Critics of coronavirus-related shutdowns have pointed to Sweden’s path toward “herd immunity” as justification for advocating an end to stay-at-home orders, even as some infectious disease experts warn the Swedes’ methods could be deadly. Building herd immunity has gained popularity in some circles as an alternative to widespread shutdowns and...
Trump harshly blames China for coronavirus pandemic; a lab ‘mistake’?Video
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Thursday speculated that China could have unleashed the coronavirus on the world due to some kind of horrible “mistake,” and his intelligence agencies said they are still examining a notion put forward by the president and aides that the pandemic may have resulted from...
Trump’s ‘Operation Warp Speed’ aims to rush coronavirus vaccineVideo
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration is quietly organizing a Manhattan Project-style effort to drastically cut the time needed to develop a coronavirus vaccine, with a goal to have 100 million doses ready by year’s end, according to two people familiar with the matter. Called “Operation Warp Speed,” the program will...
American Heart Association addresses CPR during coronavirus pandemicVideo
Covid-19 fears have altered most aspects of daily life, especially physical human contact. The American Heart Assocation realizes that people may be reluctant to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) — a lifesaving act that requires direct physical contact. A senior director with the regional AHA, Gina Hrach, said they are “currently...
Laid-off U.S. workers face foreign world of insurance shoppingVideo
Mass layoffs are pushing many Americans into an unfamiliar role: shopping for health insurance that isn’t offered by an employer. A swirl of confusing terms and options await inexperienced shoppers as they sort health insurance plans. And there’s probably no one from human resources available to quickly answer questions. The...
10 ways to protect your skin while wearing a mask
During the covid-19 pandemic, many Americans are wearing face masks for extended periods of time for the first time in their lives. This has brought about a number of skin issues, from flaring of eczema to worsening of acne. Dr. Suzan Obagi, associate professor of dermatology at the UPMC Cosmetic...
Coronavirus pandemic can be alarming for Western Pa. allergy sufferers
For most people, opening a window or stepping outside for a breath of fresh air is a welcome respite, especially during Pennsylvania’s stay-at-home order. But for those with allergies, pollen from trees and grass can bring misery. The allergens can cause a runny nose, malaise, watery eyes and coughing —which...
Public safety officials: Don’t hesitate to call 911 over covid-19 concern
Pittsburgh-area medical personnel and public safety officials don’t want residents hesitating to call 911 if they have an emergency, especially if that hesitation is out of fear of going to a hospital during the coronavirus pandemic. “We don’t want anyone making their personal health situation worse by not calling 911...
European doctors warn rare kids’ syndrome may have coronavirus tieVideo
LONDON — Doctors in Britain, Italy, and Spain have been warned to look out for a rare inflammatory condition in children that is possibly linked to the new coronavirus. Earlier this week, Britain’s Paediatric Intensive Care Society issued an alert to doctors noting that in the past three weeks, there...
Health officials ready new guidelines as restrictions easeVideo
WASHINGTON — Businesses should close break rooms. Restaurants should consider disposable menus and plates. Schools should have students eat lunch in their classrooms. These are some of the recommendations offered in new federal plans designed to help restaurants, schools, churches and businesses safely reopen as states look to gradually lift...
Pennsylvania officials issue guidance on resuming elective surgeries
Hospitals and surgical centers in Pennsylvania can resume elective procedures that have been halted for weeks by the coronavirus pandemic. State Secretary of Health Rachel Levine said Monday such surgeries and procedures may begin again as long as hospitals still would be ready for a potential surge in covid-19 cases....
Trump claims sarcasm in comments about injecting disinfectants
WASHINGTON — Don’t inject disinfectants, health officials leapt to warn on Friday, reacting to President Donald Trump’s comment that disinfectants perhaps could be injected or ingested to fight covid-19. His suggestion even prompted the maker of Lysol to warn its product should never be used internally. “As a global leader...
‘Extremely dangerous’: Health officials warn not to ingest disinfectants for any reason, including covid-19
Pennsylvania’s top health official on Friday warned that no one, under any circumstance, should ingest or inject disinfectants of any kind. “I can say that any type of ingesting or injecting a (disinfectant) would be extremely dangerous — extremely dangerous,” Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine said during a media...
Gov. Wolf: Mental health resources available for pandemic stress, anxiety
Resources are available for people having trouble coping or experiencing a mental health crisis spurred by the coronavirus pandemic and the isolation it has wrought. Gov. Tom Wolf on Friday reiterated a list of resources available. The mitigation efforts to combat the coronavirus are necessary for public health, he said,...
U.S. states build stockpiles of malaria drug touted by Trump
SALT LAKE CITY — State and local governments across the United States have obtained 30 million doses of a malaria drug touted by President Trump to treat patients with the new coronavirus, despite warnings from doctors that more research is needed. At least 21 states and Washington, D.C. secured shipments...
Makers of Lysol warn about ingesting disinfectants following Trump’s coronavirus statements
WASHINGTON — The parent company of Lysol disinfectant warned Friday that its products should not be used internally to treat covid-19 after President Donald Trump wondered about the prospect during a White House briefing. Trump noted Thursday that researchers were looking at the effects of disinfectants on the virus and...
Answering the Call: Pittsburgh nurse talks about impact of coronavirus on ICUVideo
Amber Holshue is a senior professional nurse II working in the adult intensive care unit at UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital. She has been an ICU nurse at Magee for four years. The covid-19 outbreak has made her work even more challenging. The hospital now cannot have visitors in the ICU ,...
Trump administration offers plan to cover coronavirus care for uninsured
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration announced a plan Wednesday to start paying hospitals and doctors who care for uninsured patients with coronavirus, but Democratic lawmakers and health industry groups are likely to press for more. Under the approach detailed by Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar, hospitals and doctors...
