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Coronavirus category, Page 44

Pope Francis, first Latin American pontiff, dies at 88
Health officials: Coronavirus surge a ‘raging forest fire’ in Arkansas 
LITTLE ROCK — Public health researchers on Tuesday called the rapid rise in coronavirus cases and hospitalizations in Arkansas a “raging forest fire,” and the state’s top health official warned that he expects significant outbreaks in schools. The model by the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences’ Fay W. Boozman...
Schools confront more polarization with mask rules for fall
Students in Wichita, Kansas, public schools can ditch the masks when classes begin. Detroit public schools will probably require them unless everyone in a room is vaccinated. In Pittsburgh, masks will likely be required regardless of vaccination status. And in some states, schools cannot mandate face coverings under any circumstances....
Amazon to end covid testing at warehouses this month
Amazon will stop testing workers for covid-19 at its warehouses at the end of this month, citing the availability of vaccines and free testing. The company began testing warehouse workers last year when tests were more difficult to secure. Warehouse workers, who were considered essential, packed and shipped orders throughout...
CDC raises covid-19 warning for U.K. to highest level, urges Americans to avoid travel 
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Monday raised its coronavirus warning for the United Kingdom to Level 4, the highest on the agency’s scale, and urged Americans not to go there even if fully vaccinated. The advisory comes as the U.K. faces an alarming surge in new...
Judge: Indiana University can require covid-19 vaccinations
INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana University can require its roughly 90,000 students and 40,000 employees to get vaccinated for covid-19 under a federal judge’s ruling that might be the first of its kind regarding college immunization mandates. In a ruling dated Sunday, U.S. District Judge Damon Leichty in South Bend rejected a...
Arkansas coronavirus hospitalizations go up by 106 over weekend
LITTLE ROCK — The number of people hospitalized because of the coronavirus jumped by 106 over the weekend in Arkansas, which is leading the nation in new virus cases per capita. The Department of Health said Monday that the state’s virus hospitalizations increased to 787. Of those, 291 patients are...
Fauci says U.S. is ‘pleading’ with people to get vaccinations as delta spreads 
Top U.S. infectious-disease expert Anthony Fauci said the delta variant of the coronavirus is causing a significant increase in infections and the Biden administration is “practically pleading” with people to get vaccinated. Delta is much more capable of spreading from person to person than earlier variants, Fauci said in an...
Canada to let in vaccinated U.S. citizens on Aug. 9
TORONTO — Canada announced Monday it will begin letting fully vaccinated U.S. citizens into Canada on Aug. 9, and those from the rest of the world on Sept. 7. Officials said the 14-day quarantine requirement will be waived as of Aug. 9 for eligible travelers who are currently residing in...
U.K. opts not to vaccinate most under-18s against covid
LONDON — The British government decided Monday not to inoculate most children and teenagers against covid-19 until more data on the available vaccines becomes available. Children as young as 12 with severe neuro-disabilities, Down Syndrome, immunosuppression and multiple or severe learning disabilities, as well as those who are household contacts...
With pandemic worsening in U.S., Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy is worried 
The U.S. surgeon general said Sunday that he’s concerned about what lies ahead with cases of covid-19 increasing in every state, millions still unvaccinated and a highly contagious virus variant spreading rapidly. Noting that nearly all coronavirus deaths now are among the tens of millions of people who haven’t received...
Appeals court blocks order lifting CDC virus rules on cruise ships
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Pandemic restrictions on Florida-based cruise ships will remain in place after a federal appeals court temporarily blocked a previous ruling that sided with a Florida lawsuit challenging the regulations. The one-paragraph decision by a three-judge panel of the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals was filed...
Los Angeles County restores indoor mask mandate for all
LOS ANGELES — A rapid and sustained increase in covid-19 cases in the nation’s largest county requires restoring an indoor mask mandate even when people are vaccinated, Los Angeles County’s public health officer said Thursday. Dr. Muntu Davis said at a virtual press conference that a public health order requiring...
Covid-19 cases in Missouri reach highest level since January 
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Missouri’s health department on Thursday reported the highest daily count of new covid-19 cases since the dead of winter, and the association representing the state’s hospital is warning that the health care system is potentially on the brink of a crisis. The Missouri Department of Health...
EU likely to decide on Moderna covid shot for kids next week
AMSTERDAM — A top official at the European Medicines Agency said a decision on whether to recommend that Moderna’s covid-19 vaccine be authorized for children is expected late next week. If approved, it would be the first such license for the shot’s use in children globally. At a press briefing...
No recent covid deaths in Allegheny, Westmoreland counties; cases trending up slightly
While case numbers might be trending slightly upward, Allegheny and Westmoreland counties have gone nearly a dozen days without recording a death related to the coronavirus. With 25 new covid-19 cases reported Wednesday, the seven-day average in Allegheny County has ticked up to 19, the highest it has been in...
Explainer: Are we going to need covid-19 booster shots?
Just because Pfizer wants to offer covid-19 vaccine boosters doesn’t mean people will be lining up anytime soon — U.S. and international health authorities say that for now, the fully vaccinated seem well protected. Globally, experts are watching closely to determine if and when people might need another shot. At...
National covid-19 cases rising again, doubling over 3 weeks
The covid-19 curve in the United States is rising again after months of decline, with the number of new cases per day doubling over the past three weeks, driven by the fast-spreading delta variant, lagging vaccination rates and Fourth of July gatherings. Confirmed infections climbed to an average of about...
Death toll rises to 92 in fire at Iraqi coronavirus ward
BAGHDAD — The death toll from a fire that swept through a hospital coronavirus ward in Iraq has climbed to at least 92, the Iraqi state news agency reported Tuesday. The announcement came as anguished family members buried their loved ones and lashed out at the government over the tragedy....
Summer camps hit with covid outbreaks — are schools next?
The United States has seen a string of covid-19 outbreaks tied to summer camps in recent weeks in places such as Texas, Illinois, Florida, Missouri and Kansas, in what some fear could be a preview of the upcoming school year. In some cases the outbreaks have spread from the camp...
U.S. officials flag ‘small’ reaction risk with J&J vaccine
WASHINGTON — Johnson & Johnson’s covid-19 vaccine may pose a “small possible risk” of a rare but potentially dangerous neurological reaction, U.S. health officials said Monday. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a statement it has received reports of 100 people who got the shot developing Guillain-Barré...
France’s Macron orders all health workers to get vaccinated 
PARIS — French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday ordered all French health care workers to get virus vaccine shots by Sept. 15 and urged all of his compatriots to get vaccinated as soon as possible, to fight resurgent infections that are threatening the country’s economic recovery. In a televised address,...
U.K. health chief: England will lift all lockdown restrictions
LONDON — All remaining lockdown restrictions in England will be lifted in a week despite a sharp rise in coronavirus cases, Britain’s health secretary said Monday, adding it’s the right time to allow Britons a chance to return to normal life. Sajid Javid told Parliament that Britain’s successful vaccine rollout...
Pennsylvania says it counted 500K duplicate covid-19 shots
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania’s Department of Health has reduced the number of covid-19 vaccine doses that had been administered by about 500,000, saying the numbers were duplicates. The figures, released Friday evening without explanation, also showed an increase of about 60,000 in the number of people who are counted as fully...
Coronavirus infects vaccinated leader at Florida condo site
MIAMI — A vaccinated Miami-Dade county commissioner who helped other local officials in Surfside following the collapse of a condominium building announced that he and his chief of staff tested positive for covid-19. The news release late Sunday from Miami-Dade County Commission Chairman Jose “Pepe” Diaz said he and his...
Pfizer to discuss vaccine booster with U.S. officials
WASHINGTON — Pfizer says it plans to meet with top U.S. health officials Monday to discuss the drugmaker’s request for federal authorization of a third dose of its covid-19 vaccine as President Joe Biden’s chief medical adviser acknowledged that “it is entirely conceivable, maybe likely” that booster shots will be...


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