Coronavirus category, Page 175

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — West Virginia University will require testing of all students, faculty and staff for the coronavirus before they can return to campus for the start of fall classes. The university said Wednesday that in setting Aug. 19 as the start of fall classes students must wear masks on...

Allegheny County county officials want to remind residents the coronavirus is still around as the region prepares to moves into the green phase of the state’s reopening plan. “The virus has not gone away,” County Executive Rich Fitzgerald said during a press briefing Wednesday. “We have not developed a vaccine...

The Pennsylvania Department of Health reported a large spike in coronavirus deaths at Kane Community Living’s Glen Hazel location, but Allegheny County officials say that never happened. The state’s updated report says there have been 78 resident cases, 43 resident deaths and 25 staff cases. Allegheny County, which operates the...

Dog walks are now both an excuse and a necessity. They are an excuse to get out of the house and walk around the neighborhood. And they are how we see other people during these days of “stay at home” orders and pandemic precautions. To the dog, the walks are...

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Before the coronavirus upended the world, West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice was in trouble. His own party rebelled against him. Federal prosecutors investigated him. Embarrassing lawsuits loomed. But now some believe that the Republican governor has been able to use his daily virus news conferences to stabilize...

The Pennsylvania Department of Health reported 75 new covid-19 deaths and 511 new cases Wednesday. That brings the state’s total case count to 73,405, with 5,742 deaths. The state considers 617 patients as probable cases, but they are not confirmed. More than half of coronavirus cases in the state are...

Two new covid-19 cases were reported Wednesday in Westmoreland County, but no new deaths. The countywide case total is now 453, with 38 deaths, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health. County Coroner Kenneth Bacha reported 32 coronavirus deaths, less than the state’s number but Bacha’s office has not updated...

Allegheny County officials reported 24 additional covid-19 cases and no new deaths Wednesday. That leaves the total number of deaths countywide at 152, while the total number of confirmed and probable cases rose to 1,952. The reported death count is still lagging behind state data, which has recorded 165 deaths...

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...

LITTLE ROCK — Arkansas on Tuesday marked another one-day record for new coronavirus cases, and the governor said plans to further loosen restrictions on businesses remained on hold because of the spike. The Health Department said at least 7,818 people tested positive for the virus, an increase of 375 over...

Restrictions to public facilities in Vandergrift will begin easing, after council voted Monday night to amend its declaration of emergency to fit guidelines in the green phase. “If there is potential funding, I would hate for us to lose it,” said attorney Alaine Generelli, on why the emergency declaration should...

Westmoreland County is moving to green status on Friday, meaning courthouse visitors won’t need a temperature check to enter, and some restrictions on access to row offices will be lifted. Gov. Wolf announced last week that Westmoreland would be joining other counties in southwestern Pennsylvania in moving from the yellow...

Concerns are mounting about studies in two influential medical journals on drugs used in people with coronavirus, including one that led multiple countries to stop testing a malaria pill. The New England Journal of Medicine issued an “expression of concern” Tuesday on a study it published May 1 that suggested...

Throughout January, the World Health Organization (WHO) publicly praised China for what it called a speedy response to the new coronavirus and thanked the Chinese government for sharing the genetic map of the virus “immediately.” But in fact, Chinese officials sat on releasing the genetic map, or genome, of the...

State health officials have no plans to alter the timeline of when counties will move to the next phase of Gov. Tom Wolf’s phased reopening plan despite large-scale protests over the death of George Floyd not adhering to social distancing guidelines. Secretary of Health Rachel Levine said health officials respect...

The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission this month will lay off about 500 employees — mostly toll collectors — as it switches permanently to a cashless system statewide. That’s roughly a quarter of the commission’s total workforce. The commission originally planned to make the switch to cashless late next year, promising no...

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...

Two new covid-19 cases were reported Tuesday in Westmoreland County. No new deaths were counted. The countywide case total is now 451, with 38 deaths, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health. County Coroner Kenneth Bacha has reported 32 coronavirus deaths, less than the state’s reported 38. Bacha’s office has...

The Pennsylvania Department of Health reported 100 new covid-19 deaths and 612 new cases Tuesday. That brings the state’s total case count to 72,894, with 5,667 deaths. Pennsylvania cases by dayInfogram The state considers 616 patients as probable cases, but they are not confirmed. More than half of coronavirus cases...

Allegheny County officials reported nine additional covid-19 cases and one new death Tuesday. That leaves the total number of deaths countywide at 152, while the total number of confirmed and probable cases rose to 1,928. The reported death count is still lagging behind state data, which has recorded 165 deaths...

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,...