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Coronavirus category, Page 20

Pope Francis, first Latin American pontiff, dies at 88
U.S. children hospitalized with covid in near-record numbers
SEATTLE — The omicron-fueled surge that is sending covid-19 cases rocketing in the U.S. is putting children in the hospital in close to record numbers, and experts lament that most of the youngsters are not vaccinated. “It’s just so heartbreaking,” said Dr. Paul Offit, an infectious-disease expert at Children’s Hospital...
Widespread flight cancellations continue as omicron spreads
NEW YORK — Hundreds of flights were canceled Wednesday as the omicron variant creates havoc both for travelers and for airlines that are having to cobble together flight crews as pilots, flight attendants and ground crews become infected or are exposed to others who have been. More than 850 flights...
New covid-19 cases in U.S. soar to highest levels on record 
More than a year after the vaccine was rolled out, new cases of covid-19 in the U.S. have soared to their highest level on record at over 265,000 per day on average, a surge driven largely by the highly contagious omicron variant. New cases per day have more than doubled...
Experts say vaccinated people with health problems still face serious covid risks
Despite recent cases in which vaccinated people got infected and died from coronavirus, getting inoculated is still the best protection against the virus, according to medical experts. While the Allegheny County Health Department’s online covid dashboard does not distinguish between vaccinated and unvaccinated people in its death data, it does...
Federal strike teams bound for Pa. to help hospitals stressed by covid-19
Pennsylvania’s acting health secretary said Tuesday the state will receive federal strike teams to “relieve hospital capacity strain in areas hit hardest by the latest covid-19 surge.” Gov. Tom Wolf requested the help about two weeks ago. It wasn’t immediately known when the strike teams will arrive and which hospitals...
World’s fair in Dubai warns of possible closures over virus
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — The multibillion-dollar world’s fair in Dubai has warned that some venues on site may shut down as coronavirus cases rapidly rise in the United Arab Emirates. Dubai’s Expo 2020 said that virus outbreaks among staff may force some parts of the fair to “close temporarily...
CDC recommends shorter covid isolation for all — from 10 to 5 days
U.S. health officials on Monday cut isolation restrictions for Americans who catch the coronavirus from 10 to five days, and similarly shortened the time that close contacts need to quarantine. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention officials said the guidance is in keeping with growing evidence that people with the...
Handling covid exposure around holidays depends on vaccination status, experts say
Attempting to return to normal life has come with a price during the pandemic. While many people opted to forgo large family get-togethers during the holidays last year as cases surged and the United States was still without an approved vaccine, many families seemed determined to gather this year. Inevitably,...
Strain of pandemic drives Americans to drink more
The strain of the coronavirus pandemic, now almost two years old, has contributed to a national uptick in alcohol consumption, experts say. People might not feel as isolated as they did during the height of the pandemic, when in-person activities were limited or shut down at many workplaces, schools and...
Omicron spreads global gloom over New Year’s celebrations
BRUSSELS — After struggling with the coronavirus for far too long, the world understands all too well Belgium’s word of the year, “knaldrang!” — the urge to party, the need to let loose. Yet as New Year celebrations approach, the omicron variant is casting more gloom. Dire warnings abound, caseloads...
Fauci: U.S. should consider vaccine mandate for domestic air travel
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the top U.S. infectious disease expert, said Monday the nation should consider a vaccination mandate for domestic air travel, signaling a potential embrace of an idea the Biden administration has previously eschewed, as covid-19 cases spike. Fauci, President Joe Biden’s chief science adviser on the pandemic response,...
Federal program offers cash to cover covid-19 funeral costs
BOSTON — When Wanda Olson’s son-in-law died in March after contracting covid-19, she and her daughter had to grapple with more than just their sudden grief. They had to come up with money for a cremation. Even without a funeral, the bill came to nearly $2,000, a hefty sum that...
Covid variant disrupts holiday travel but not shopping
NEWARK, N.J. — The latest covid-19 variant is upending holiday plans for tens of thousands of travelers — but it didn’t do much damage to holiday shopping. Airlines canceled hundreds more flights Sunday, citing staffing problems tied to covid-19, as the nation’s travel woes extended beyond Christmas, with no clear...
Chicago police officer, 50, dies of covid complications
CHICAGO — A Chicago police officer has died of complications from the coronavirus. Jose Huerta, a 50-year-old from the Southwest Side, died of pneumonia from a covid-19 infection Thursday afternoon, according to the Cook County Medical Examiner’s office. A police department spokesman declined to comment Saturday, but the Chicago Fraternal...
Florida sets another new record for single-day covid case increase
MIAMI — Florida on Christmas Day saw its largest single-day increase of newly reported covid-19 cases since the pandemic began. The record breaks the previous one set on Christmas Eve. “Omicron is 10 more potent at causing reinfection than previous variants — protection from prior infection is not as...
Pennsylvania, Allegheny County report record covid cases
Allegheny County and Pennsylvania as a whole reported record-breaking covid-19 case counts on Friday, posting numbers above even the height of the late 2020 surge, data shows. The state Department of Health reported 13,286 new covid cases, topping the previous record of 12,884 set in December 2020 before vaccines were...
Demand for rapid covid testing on the rise in Western Pa.
The rise in the number of omicron variant cases has led to long lines at area testing sites, including those provided by Curative, one of the entities Allegheny County has partnered with to conduct testing. Last Tuesday around the county, Curative performed more than 2,700 covid-19 tests — its highest...
U.S. sets shorter covid-19 isolation rules for health workers
NEW YORK — Worried that a new covid-19 wave could overwhelm understaffed U.S. hospitals, federal officials on Thursday loosened rules that call on health care workers to stay out of work for 10 days if they test positive. Those workers now will be allowed to come back to work after...
City of Pittsburgh begins disciplining unvaccinated employees
The city of Pittsburgh announced Thursday that it has begun disciplining employees who have yet to be vaccinated against covid-19. Mayor Bill Peduto in November issued an executive order requiring all city employees — except those with an accepted medical or religious exception — to be fully vaccinated by Dec....
Lab-confirmed cases of omicron variant detected in Allegheny County
A day after the Allegheny County health director said the covid-19 omicron variant had been found in the county’s wastewater, lab testing has identified two confirmed cases of the quick-spreading variant, officials said. One test was collected from a man Dec. 7, and it was confirmed to be the omicron...
U.K. data suggest hospitalization is less likely with omicron
LONDON — Preliminary data suggest that people with the omicron variant of the coronavirus are between 50% and 70% less likely to need hospitalization than those with the delta strain, Britain’s public health agency said Thursday. The U.K. Health Security Agency findings add to emerging evidence that omicron produces milder...
U.S. adds Merck’s covid pill as 2nd easy-to-use drug against virus
WASHINGTON — U.S. health regulators on Thursday authorized the second pill against covid-19, providing another easy-to-use medication to battle the rising tide of omicron infections. The Food and Drug Administration authorization comes one day after the agency cleared a competing drug from Pfizer. That pill is likely to become the...
Greece cancels Christmas events, brings back mask mandate
ATHENS, Greece — Christmas concerts and other events have been canceled in Greece under new restrictions announced Thursday that include a general mask mandate for outdoors and all public areas. Incoming travelers will also be required to have follow-up tests for covid-19 on the second and fourth days after their...
Omicron less likely to put you in the hospital, studies contend
Two new British studies provide some early hints that the omicron variant of the coronavirus may be milder than the delta version. Scientists stress that even if the findings of these early studies hold up, any reductions in severity need to be weighed against the fact omicron spreads much faster...
Allegheny health director: More than 400 covid deaths since October
More than 400 people have died in Allegheny County covid-related deaths in the past three months, including 97 in December, county Health Director Dr. Debra Bogen said Wednesday. Covid-19 case counts remain at a daily average of 600 per day, while “hospitalizations remain high, as do deaths,” Bogen said. “I...


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