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Coronavirus category, Page 33

Pope Francis, first Latin American pontiff, dies at 88
Health official: Booster use may be expanded 
WASHINGTON — The National Institutes of Health director says a government advisory panel’s decision to limit Pfizer covid-19 booster shots to Americans 65 and older as well as those at high risk of severe disease is a preliminary step and predicts broader approval for most Americans “in the next few...
Same goal, different paths: U.S., EU seek max vaccine rates
BRUSSELS — The Belgian town of Aarschot has a vaccination rate of 94% of all adults, but Mayor Gwendolyn Rutten worries her town is too close for comfort to the capital of Brussels, where the rate stands at 63%. But there’s not much she can do about it. Her hope...
Bats in Laos caves harbor closest relatives to covid-19 virus
Bats dwelling in limestone caves in northern Laos were found to carry coronaviruses that share a key feature with SARS-CoV-2, moving scientists closer to pinpointing the cause of covid-19. Researchers at France’s Pasteur Institute and the University of Laos looked for viruses similar to the one that causes covid-19 among...
Westmoreland, Allegheny covid cases reach totals not seen since January
Newly reported covid-19 cases in Westmoreland and Allegheny counties on Saturday reached highs that haven’t been seen since January. Westmoreland County added 269 covid-19 cases, according to data from the Pennsylvania Department of Health released Saturday. It hadn’t been that high since hitting 277 on Jan. 13. For comparison’s sake,...
FDA advisory panel rejects widespread Pfizer booster shots
WASHINGTON — An influential federal advisory panel overwhelmingly rejected a plan Friday to offer Pfizer booster shots against covid-19 to most Americans, dealing a heavy blow to the Biden administration’s effort to shore up people’s protection amid the highly contagious delta variant. The vote by the committee of outside experts...
‘This is the worst I’ve seen’: Longer waits reported at Western Pa. hospitals
Wait times at Western Pennsylvania’s emergency rooms are getting longer, following a national trend spurred by covid-19, staffing shortages and an overall increase in demand for health care. “Wait times — they always vary by time of day, even hour by hour — but this is the worst I’ve seen...
Study: Childhood obesity in U.S. accelerated during pandemic
NEW YORK — A new study ties the covid-19 pandemic to an “alarming” increase in obesity in U.S. children and teenagers. Childhood obesity has been increasing for decades, but the new work suggests an acceleration last year — especially in those who already were obese when the pandemic started. The...
Can kids be harmed wearing masks to protect against covid?
Can kids be harmed wearing masks to protect against covid? No, there is no scientific evidence showing masks cause harm to kids’ health despite baseless claims suggesting otherwise. The claims are circulating on social media and elsewhere just as virus outbreaks are hitting many reopened U.S. schools — particularly those...
As covid-19 vaccine mandates rise, religious exemptions grow
An estimated 2,600 Los Angeles Police Department employees are citing religious objections to try to get out of the required covid-19 vaccination. In Washington state, thousands of state workers are seeking similar exemptions. And in Arkansas, a hospital has been swamped with so many such requests from employees that it...
Breakthrough covid cases jump in Allegheny County
Breakthrough covid-19 cases in Allegheny County have risen in recent months, according to data from the Allegheny County Health Department. Breakthrough infections accounted for 23% of cases in August, Allegheny County Health Director Dr. Debra Bogen said Wednesday as she shared the first county-specific breakthrough data. The instances of breakthrough...
2 Maine senators, both vaccinated, test positive for covid
PORTLAND, Maine — Two of the top ranking Democratic members of the Maine Senate have tested positive for covid-19 despite being fully vaccinated. Maine Senate President Troy Jackson tested positive for coronavirus, becoming the highest-ranking official in state government to contract the virus. Senate Major Leader Eloise Vitelli also said...
Pope questions vaccine skeptics, including cardinals
ABOARD THE PAPAL PLANE — Pope Francis said Wednesday he didn’t understand why people refuse to take covid-19 vaccines, saying “humanity has a history of friendship with vaccines,” and that serene discussion about the shots was necessary to help them. “Even in the College of Cardinals, there are some negationists,”...
Biden, CEOs, biz leaders meet on covid vaccine mandates
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden was meeting Wednesday with the CEOs of Walt Disney and Columbia Sportswear, and other business executives and leaders leaders to discuss his recently announced vaccine requirement for companies that employ at least 100 people. The White House meeting comes less than a week after Biden...
Biden: Nearly 3M get health coverage during covid sign-up
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden announced Wednesday that 2.8 million consumers took advantage of a special six-month period to sign up for private health insurance coverage made more affordable by his covid-19 relief law. He called the number encouraging and urged Congress to help lower health care costs. “That’s 2.8...
Allegheny County nixes proposed mask-wearing mandate to thwart spread of covid
An Allegheny County proposal to mandate mask-wearing at large outdoor events and most indoor gatherings failed to advance Tuesday night. The bill was pitched as an effort to thwart the ongoing spread of covid-19 while local cases and hospitalizations are on the rise and vaccination rates remain below targets. County...
Pa. officials: 94% of covid cases were in unvaccinated or not fully vaccinated people
The “vast majority” of covid-19 related cases, hospitalizations and deaths in Pennsylvania since January have been among unvaccinated or not fully vaccinated individuals, according to Department of Health data released Tuesday So-called “breakthrough” covid-19 infections — those that occur 14 days after an individual has received either two doses of...
Covid-19 cases in U.S. climbing, wiping out months of progress
Covid-19 deaths and cases in the U.S. have climbed back to where they were over the winter, wiping out months of progress and potentially bolstering President Joe Biden’s argument for sweeping new vaccination requirements. The cases — driven by the delta variant combined with resistance among some Americans to getting...
Washington hospital execs: little capacity to help Idaho
SEATTLE — Washington is facing its own covid-19 crisis and has little capacity to help neighboring Idaho deal with an overwhelming surge of cases driven by unvaccinated people, state hospital executives and doctors said Monday. Taya Briley, executive vice president of the Washington State Hospital Association, called the situation “very...
Judge temporary order allows Iowa schools to mandate masks
DES MOINES — A federal judge on Monday ordered the state of Iowa to immediately halt enforcement of a law that prevents school boards from ordering masks to be worn to help prevent the spread of covid-19. Judge Robert Pratt said in an order signed Monday that the law passed...
Most people don’t need covid vaccine booster, scientists say
Covid-19 vaccines work so well that most people don’t yet need a booster, an all-star panel of scientists from around the world said in a review that’s likely to fuel the debate over whether to use them. Governments would be better served to focus on immunizing the unvaccinated and to...
Veronica Wolski, Chicago woman at the center of ivermectin firestorm, dies
CHICAGO — Veronica Wolski, the QAnon adherent whose recent hospitalization made her a cause célèbre for the controversial medication ivermectin, died in the intensive care unit of AMITA Health Resurrection Medical Center early Monday, a hospital spokeswoman said. She was 64. Wolski’s social media followers said she was being treated...
Expiring covid-19 waivers could make Pa. health-care staffing shortages worse
Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan newsroom powered by The Philadelphia Inquirer in partnership with PennLive/The Patriot-News, TribLIVE/Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, and WITF Public Media. Sign up for our free newsletters. HARRISBURG — Regulatory waivers established last year to help hospitals and health-care workers fight covid-19 will expire this month, and those...
Hallam, Bennett to introduce mask requirement proposal to Allegheny County Council
People would be required to wear masks at any indoor gathering and at outdoor gatherings of more than 250 people under legislation that will be introduced at Tuesday’s Allegheny County Council meeting. The ordinance is sponsored by council members Bethany Hallam and Olivia Bennett. Under the legislation, those who fail...
Covid vaccine for ages 5-11 could be ready for fall, early winter: reports
The former commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and a Pfizer board member said Sunday that a covid-19 vaccine for children ages 5 to 11 could be ready as soon as Halloween. Appearing on CBS News “Face the Nation,” Dr. Scott Gottlieb, said that Pfizer expects to have...
School starts for 1 million NYC kids amid new vaccine rules
NEW YORK — About a million New York City public school students went back to school Monday in the nation’s largest experiment of in-person learning during the coronavirus pandemic. The start of the school year coincides with several milestones in the city’s pandemic recovery that hinge on vaccine mandates. Nearly...


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