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Coronavirus category, Page 41

Pope Francis, first Latin American pontiff, dies at 88
Westmoreland commissioners mum on mask requirement as county sees substantial virus spread
The CDC on Tuesday said there is now a substantial level of coronavirus transmission in Westmoreland County, a designation that puts indoor mask requirements back under consideration for both vaccinated and unvaccinated people under updated federal guidelines. But, county leaders said no mandates have as yet been issued. “At this...
Penn State strongly encouraging, not mandating covid vaccine
Students and faculty at Pennsylvania State University are strongly encouraged to be vaccinated against covid-19, but the university is not mandating the vaccine, university officials said during a virtual presentation Tuesday. “While we are not currently requiring vaccinations, Penn State is not impartial when it comes to getting vaccinated,” Penn...
Gov. Ron DeSantis won’t move on masks as Florida covid wards swell 
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday downplayed a spike in covid-19 cases that’s shattered state hospitalization records and strongly reiterated his vow not to impose a mask mandate or any business restrictions. With the much more contagious delta variant now spreading exponentially, Florida hit 11,515 hospitalized...
Tyson Foods, Microsoft to require vaccination for U.S. workers
ARLINGTON, Va. — Meat processer Tyson Foods said Tuesday it will require all of its U.S. employees to get vaccinated against covid-19, becoming one of the first major employers of frontline workers to do so amid a resurgence of the virus. Microsoft also announced Tuesday that it will require proof...
Pa. surpasses 1,000 covid cases a day for 1st time since May
As of Tuesday’s covid update from the Pennsylvania Department of Health, the state is now averaging more than 1,000 cases per day for the first time in over two months. The latest update shows 1,442 new coronavirus cases reported statewide, bringing the daily average to 1,043. It’s the first time...
NYC will require vaccination proof for indoor dining, gyms
New York City will soon require proof of covid-19 vaccinations for indoor activities, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Tuesday, making it the first big city in the U.S. to impose such restrictions. The new requirement, which will go into effect Aug. 16, applies to indoor dining, gyms and indoor entertainment...
Florida again breaks record for covid-19 hospitalizations
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — The number of people hospitalized for covid-19 in Florida rose to an all-time high of 11,515 patients in one day, according to data the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services released Tuesday. The data is used by the Florida Hospital Association to track admissions and...
Louisiana reinstates indoor mask mandate amid covid surge 
BATON ROUGE — Louisiana on Monday reinstated a mask mandate in all indoor locations, including schools and colleges, as the state experiences the highest per capita covid-19 growth in the nation, driven by the delta variant and one of the country’s lowest vaccination rates. Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards said...
Appeals court upholds Indiana University’s vaccine mandate
INDIANAPOLIS — A federal appeals court ruled Monday that Indiana University can proceed with its plan to require students and employees to get vaccinated for covid-19, in what is the highest court decision regarding college immunization mandates. The Chicago-based appeals court upheld an Indiana district court judge’s ruling that found...
U.S. health official: Masks are frustrating, but country can get past them
ATLANTA — A top federal health official said Monday that he understood frustration with new mask requirements, but the country could overcome them if people accepted responsibility for combatting the coronavirus. U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra was in Georgia as covid-19 infections and hospitalizations in the state...
Lindsey Graham 1st vaccinated senator to test positive for covid-19
COLUMBIA, S.C. — U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham has tested positive for the coronavirus, the first senator to disclose a breakthrough infection after being vaccinated. In a statement issued Monday afternoon, the South Carolina Republican said that he “started having flu-like symptoms Saturday night” and went to the doctor Monday morning....
U.S. hits 70% vaccination rate — a month late, amid a surge 
The United States on Monday finally reached President Joe Biden’s goal of getting at least one covid-19 shot in the arms of 70% of American adults — a month late and amid a fierce surge by the delta variant that is swamping hospitals and leading to new mask rules and...
Most Indonesians want to get vaccinated but lack access to doses
Most Indonesians cited a lack of available doses as the reason why they’re not vaccinated against covid-19. Among those who haven’t had their shots, 80% said they’re waiting for their appointment, are looking for available doses or haven’t been able to get inoculated due to other reasons, including health conditions...
NFL Alumni, CDC fight covid-19 vaccination hesitancy
Marshall Faulk’s high school football coach died of covid-19 early on in the pandemic. The coronavirus hit home for Rod Woodson when he and his family got sick and his daughter’s boyfriend lost his father. They are two of 15 Hall of Famers among 40 current and former players who...
Denver mayor mandates workers to be vaccinated
DENVER — Denver Mayor Michael Hancock says the city will mandate all city employees and private sector workers in high-risk settings to be vaccinated against covid-19 by Sept. 30. Denver’s public health measure announced Monday applies to more than 10,000 municipal employees like police officers, firefighters, and sheriff’s deputies. Hancock...
2nd Penn State student dies of covid-19 complications
Students and staff at Penn State are mourning the coronavirus-related death of a second student from the university. Neil Patel, 20, a sixth semester Penn State Honors College scholar from Upper Merion Township, died Sunday at a Philadelphia hospital, where he was taken in mid-April with severe effects of covid-19....
Pennsylvania reports 2,283 new covid cases since Friday
The Pennsylvania Department of Health reported 913 additional coronavirus cases on Monday, and 2,106 total cases for Saturday and Sunday, for a three-day total of 3,019. Northampton County’s 131 additional cases since Friday were enough to give it the highest population-adjusted seven-day case rate among the state’s 67 counties. Northampton...
U.S. employers ratchet up the pressure on the unvaccinated
NEW YORK — Employers are losing patience with unvaccinated workers. For months, most employers relied on information campaigns, bonuses and other incentives to encourage their workforces to get the covid-19 shot. Now, a growing number are imposing rules to make it more onerous for employees to refuse, from outright mandates...
Mask opponents at risk after virus case at Missouri meeting
O’FALLON, Mo. — Many people were maskless as they expressed their displeasure with a mask mandate during a boisterous, four-hour St. Louis County Council meeting, and now contact tracers are trying to determine if anyone picked up the coronavirus after someone at the meeting tested positive for covid-19. The delta...
Cuomo mandates vaccines or testing for NYC transit workers
NEW YORK — Gov. Andrew Cuomo said workers in New York City’s airports and public transit system will have to get coronavirus vaccinations or face weekly testing, but he stopped short Monday of mandating either masks or inoculations for the general public, saying he lacks the legal authority to do...
‘It just went boom.’ ICUs are being overwhelmed with younger — and sicker — patients
MIAMI — Inside a covid-only intensive care unit at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami, all eight beds are filled with patients. Six of the eight patients are younger than 50 years old. None of them has been vaccinated against covid-19. The youngest patient, a 27-year-old woman on a ventilator, had...
Dr. Fauci says shots work despite cases among fully vaccinated 
WASHINGTON — Anthony Fauci, the United States’ top infectious disease doctor, said covid-19 vaccines work extremely well and that a return to the lockdowns of 2020 is unlikely despite reports of recent outbreaks among fully vaccinated people. “The likelihood of your getting a severe outcome of the infection is very...
Florida breaks record for covid-19 hospitalizations 
ORLANDO — A day after it recorded the most new daily cases since the start of the pandemic, Florida on Sunday broke a previous record for current hospitalizations, as the number of patients in hospitals because of covid-19 once again broke through the 10,000-person threshold. The Sunshine State had 10,207...
Crowds defy ban to protest coronavirus measures in Berlin
BERLIN — Hundreds of people turned out in Berlin on Sunday to protest the German government’s anti-coronavirus measures despite a ban on the gatherings, leading to arrests and clashes with police. Local authorities banned several different protests registered for this weekend, including one from the Stuttgart-based Querdenker movement, which expected...
French police clash with anti-virus pass protesters in Paris
PARIS — Thousands of people protested France’s special virus pass by marching through Paris and other French cities on Saturday. Most demonstrations were peaceful but some in Paris clashed with riot police, who fired tear gas. Some 3,000 security forces deployed around the French capital for a third weekend of...


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