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Coronavirus category, Page 42

Pope Francis, first Latin American pontiff, dies at 88
Mask guidance divides parents heading into new school year
HARTFORD, Conn. — With U.S. health officials recommending that children mask up in school this fall, parents and policy makers across the nation have been plunged anew into a debate over whether face coverings should be optional or a mandate. The delta variant of the coronavirus now threatens to upend...
U.S. memorials to victims of covid pandemic taking shape
CHILLICOTHE, Ohio — Ohio has planted a memorial grove of native trees to remember people who died of covid-19, and governors and state lawmakers nationwide are considering their own ways to mark the toll of the virus. Temporary memorials have sprung up across the U.S. — 250,000 white flags at...
Magee-Womens, Pitt join study of pregnant and new moms’ responses to covid vaccines
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists announced Friday that it “recommends that all eligible persons, including pregnant and lactating individuals, receive a covid-19 vaccine or vaccine series. “ Obstetrician-gynecologists and other women’s health care practitioners should lead by example by being vaccinated and encouraging eligible patients to be vaccinated...
Louisville woman wins $1M vaccine lottery prize in Kentucky
FRANKFORT, Ky. — A Louisville woman has won the $1 million prize in Kentucky’s first ‘Shot at a Million Vaccine’ incentive drawing, Gov. Andy Beshear announced Friday. “I have never experienced anything like this. It’s shocking because you don’t really think you’re going to win,” said the winner, Ginger Schultz....
Experts: Here is what to expect as delta variant surges
A surge in coronavirus infections fueled by the delta variant has predictably caused global concern. But that appears to be about the only predictable aspect of the delta variant, with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reportedly indicating it’s as contagious as chickenpox. Information is very fluid at this...
CDC team: ‘War has changed’ as delta variant dangers emerge
New evidence showing the delta variant is as contagious as chickenpox and may be more dangerous than other versions has prompted U.S. health officials to consider changing advice on how the nation fights the coronavirus, internal documents show. Recommending masks for everyone and requiring vaccines for doctors and other health...
States race to use covid-19 vaccines before they expire
Hundreds of thousands of covid-19 vaccine doses have been saved from the trash after U.S. regulators extended their expiration date for a second time, part of a nationwide effort to salvage expiring shots to battle the nation’s summer surge in infections. The Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday sent a...
Walmart mandates masks for all workers in some areas
NEW YORK — Walmart, the nation’s largest retailer and private employer, is reversing its mask policy and will require all its workers — including vaccinated ones — in areas with high infection rates to wear masks. The Bentonville, Ark.-based company says it is also encouraging customers to wear masks in...
Health officials to release new covid-19 data
NEW YORK — U.S. health officials are expected to release new data about the spread of covid-19 on Friday that led to their decision to recommend that vaccinated people wear masks in some situations, a reversal of previous guidance. The report, to be released by the Centers for Disease Control...
West Virginia to study need for 3rd covid vaccine dose
CHARLESTON — West Virginia will begin offering some fully vaccinated people free tests to measure antibody levels against the coronavirus, a move to study whether some elderly and immunocompromised individuals should receive a third booster shot. State officials said they are following the lead of Israel, which announced Thursday that...
Disney World to require all guests to wear masks indoors starting Friday
If you’re going to Disney World, you will have to mask up. Starting Friday, Disney guests will have to wear masks while indoors and on resort transportation, regardless of vaccination status. Face coverings are optional when outside, and visitors younger than 2 will not be required to wear a mask....
CDC mask guidance met with hostility by leading Republicans
SALT LAKE CITY — One of the Republican Party’s most prominent rising stars is mocking new government recommendations calling for more widespread use of masks to blunt a coronavirus surge. “Did you not get the CDC’s memo?” Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis joked Wednesday before an almost entirely unmasked audience of...
Pa. health officials: Nearly all covid hospitalizations, deaths among unvaccinated
Nearly all of the covid-related hospitalizations and deaths in Pennsylvania are among the unvaccinated, state health officials said Thursday. Of those hospitalized across the state, 97% are unvaccinated, said Acting Secretary of Health Alison Beam. Of deaths happening now, she said, 99% are of unvaccinated people. “At this stage, these...
Biden urging state, local governments to offer the unvaccinated $100 
WASHINGTON — The nation’s millions of federal workers will be required to verify they’ve been vaccinated against the coronavirus or else face mandatory masking, weekly testing, distancing and other new rules, the Biden administration announced Thursday. The newly strict guidelines are aimed at boosting sluggish vaccination rates among the huge...
Pittsburgh Public Schools board approves mask mandate
Students in Pittsburgh Public Schools will have to continue wearing masks during the upcoming academic year, according to the district’s health and safety plan. The plan — which requires masks indoors and keeps many covid-19 mitigation measures in place for the 2021-22 school year — was passed during Wednesday’s school...
Once fading, mask sales starting to rebound
NEW YORK — Masks, which had started to disappear from store shelves, may be front and center again. A spot check of businesses and other data sources are showing that mask sales have been rising in recent weeks as Americans worry about the surging cases of the delta variant of...
AstraZeneca to seek U.S. approval of covid vaccine later this year
LONDON — AstraZeneca said Thursday that it intends to seek U.S. approval for its covid-19 vaccine later this year, further delaying the application even as the company announced it had already delivered more than 1 billion doses to other countries. The Anglo-Swedish drugmaker said the application has been delayed because...
Allegheny County officials won’t rule out local mask mandate
Covid-19 cases in Allegheny County remain below the threshold that would trigger the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s updated mask guidance, but county leaders did not rule out the need for a countywide mask mandate. “We’re not there yet but, again, stay tuned,” said County Executive Rich Fitzgerald, noting...
Why masks are again advised for everyone indoors
NEW YORK — Wait, we’re supposed to wear masks again? Even if we are vaccinated? For a large part of the U.S., that’s the latest advice from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC this week revisited and revised its guidance for wearing masks indoors to stop the...
Pfizer: Vaccine protective for at least 6 months
WASHINGTON — The effectiveness of the Pfizer vaccine wanes slightly over time but it remains strongly protective for at least six months after the second dose, according to company data released Wednesday. The findings are one piece of evidence that U.S. health authorities will consider in deciding if and when...
New CDC guidelines set off rush to reimpose mask mandates
States and businesses scrambled Wednesday to change course after the federal government issued new guidance calling for the return of mask wearing in virus hot spots amid a dramatic spike in covid-19 cases and hospitalizations nationwide. Nevada and Kansas City were among the locations that moved swiftly to re-impose indoor...
Covid cases, hospitalizations rise in Pennsylvania and Allegheny County
After starting July with low numbers, covid cases and hospitalizations have crept up this past week in Pennsylvania and Allegheny County. In Westmoreland County, there’s a different story as those numbers have not changed much at all. Cases As of Wednesday’s covid report, the Pennsylvania Department of Health has seen...
Allegheny County officials won’t rule out local mask mandate
Covid-19 cases in Allegheny County remain below the threshold that would trigger the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s updated mask guidance, but county leaders did not rule out the need for a countywide mask mandate. “We’re not there yet but, again, stay tuned,” said County Executive Rich Fitzgerald, noting...
White House considering vaccine mandate for federal workers 
WASHINGTON — The White House is strongly considering requiring federal employees to show proof they’ve been vaccinated against the coronavirus or otherwise submit to regular testing and wear a mask — a potentially major shift in policy that reflects growing concerns about the spread of the more infectious delta variant....
What the CDC mask recommendations mean for Western Pennsylvanians
As expected, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is now recommending that even vaccinated people wear masks indoors in parts of the U.S. where coronavirus cases are surging. The CDC made the announcement Tuesday, adding vaccinated people with vulnerable household members, including young children and those who are immunocompromised,...


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