FDA approves updated Pfizer covid shots but limits access for some kids and adults
WASHINGTON — U.S. regulators approved updated covid-19 shots Wednesday but limited their use for many Americans — and removed one of the two vaccines available for young children. The new shots from Pfizer, Moderna and Novavax are approved for all seniors. But the Food and Drug Administration narrowed their use...
New covid variant could come with extremely painful symptom
Just when we all thought covid was far behind us, a new variant has emerged to threaten our well-being once again. The new variant, known as NB.1.8.1, has made its way to the United States. The variant, which was first discovered in China earlier this year, currently accounts for 10%...
FDA approves Moderna’s new lower-dose covid-19 vaccine
The U.S. approved a new covid-19 vaccine made by Moderna late Friday but with limits on who can use it — not a replacement for the company’s existing shot, but a second option. The new vaccine, mNexspike, is a step toward next-generation coronavirus vaccines. It’s made in a way that...
New covid vaccine guidance pits ‘common sense’ vs. science, data
If pregnant women and healthy children follow new federal guidance, they won’t receive the covid-19 vaccine and will face a greater risk for complications from the disease, three public health experts told TribLive Wednesday. “This particular decision undermines years of medical research,” Dr. Syra Madad said of U.S. Health and...
Covid spurred both public health advances and science skepticism
One of the nation’s most outspoken vaccine experts believes the U.S. is already forgetting a critical lesson reinforced during the covid-19 pandemic: Vaccines save lives. Dr. Peter Hotez said increased vaccine hesitancy, misinformation and politicization are jeopardizing people’s health. As dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor...
Pandemic led to radical, lasting changes in health care industry
When covid-19 struck, Natalya Rodriguez, fresh out of nursing school, watched as a flood of overwhelmed colleagues abandoned the health care field. Nothing had prepared nurses in the U.S. for a pandemic — or the death and fear it brought. The National Council of State Boards of Nursing estimated 100,000...
Covid outbreak hits Allegheny County’s Kane center in McKeesport
Allegheny County officials said Friday that a covid-19 outbreak has hit one of its senior centers in McKeesport, infecting 11% of the residents. The outbreak at Kane Community Living Center in McKeesport began Nov. 4. Those affected have mild symptoms, said Abigail Gardner, spokeswoman for Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato....
What to know about the latest round of free covid-19 tests
A new round of free at-home covid-19 tests officially began shipping Monday, the Washington Post reported. Each household can request four free tests via mail through covidtests.gov, the Biden administration announced, according to the Post. The free tests will detect current virus strains, according to the Associated Press. The revival...
Cuomo defends covid-19 nursing home decisions in combative House committee hearingVideo
Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo began testifying Tuesday in a combative congressional subcommittee hearing centered on his handling of the covid-19 pandemic as the virus began to spread through the state’s nursing homes in 2020. Members of the Republican-led House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic released a report...
Vaccines for flu, covid available as wastewater tests show high levels of virus
Updated vaccines for the flu and covid are available, and a Pittsburgh-based infectious disease physician is encouraging the use of an over-the-counter at-home test that can differentiate between the two viruses. A nasal swab with the at-home test can help those who are ill know what virus they have as...
Government announces more covid-19 tests can be ordered through mail for no cost
WASHINGTON — On the heels of a summer wave of covid-19 cases, Americans will be able to get free virus test kits mailed to their homes, starting in late September. U.S. households will be able to order up to four covid-19 nasal swab tests when the federal program reopens, according...
Pap smear alternative on the way for women
Women will have an alternative Pap smear option starting this fall, the New York Times reported. The new option is a swab to screen for cervical cancer, rather than the speculum, which has been the norm during Pap smear examinations. The Times said a Pap smear requires a patient’s legs...
Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman recovering from covid-19 in Braddock
HARRISBURG, Pa. — U.S. Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania said he is recovering from covid-19 at home. Fetterman said in a statement Tuesday that he was at his home in Braddock, just outside Pittsburgh, recovering and missed the day’s votes in the Senate. That included the Senate’s 91-3 passage of...
Nevada has very high levels of covid-19 in wastewater
LAS VEGAS — Tourists who flocked in droves to Las Vegas over the Fourth of July holiday weekend helped spur a rise in covid infections, experts say. “We have a surge in viral illnesses for July 4 in particular. For summer holidays, we’re always prepared for a surge in tourists...
Fraud investigator for NYC Dept. of Homeless Services charged with covid fraud
NEW YORK — A fraud investigator for the New York City Department of Homeless Services stole homeless people’s personal information during the covid pandemic, then sold that info to an identity theft scammer, federal authorities allege. Brooklyn resident Olabanji Otufale, 41, abused his position by accessing names, dates of birth,...
Toxic: How the search for the origins of covid-19 turned politically poisonous
BEIJING — The hunt for the origins of covid-19 has gone dark in China, the victim of political infighting after a series of stalled and thwarted attempts to find the source of the virus that killed millions and paralyzed the world for months. The Chinese government froze meaningful domestic and...
Biden administration announces new partnership with 50 countries to stifle future pandemics
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden’s administration will help 50 countries identify and respond to infectious diseases, with the goal of preventing pandemics like the covid-19 outbreak that suddenly halted normal life around the globe in 2020. U.S. government officials will work with the countries to develop better testing, surveillance, communication...
Free at-home covid test mail program will end Friday
Get your orders in while you can — the federal free covid test program is shutting down again at the end of the week. The program, run through the U.S. Department of Health and the United States Postal Service, has provided free at-home covid-19 rapid tests in sets of four...
Updated covid-19 shot expected to come this fall, CDC director says
WASHINGTON — Americans should expect yet another update of the covid-19 vaccine this fall at about the same time as flu shots are available, the top U.S. public health official said Monday. Researchers are working on selecting a strain for the upcoming version, and will probably wait until May to...
U.S. health officials drop 5-day isolation time for covid-19
NEW YORK — Americans who test positive for covid-19 no longer need to stay in isolation for five days, U.S. health officials announced Friday. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention changed its longstanding guidance, saying that people can return to work or regular activities if their symptoms are mild...
Older U.S. adults should get another covid-19 shot, advisers say
NEW YORK — Older U.S. adults should roll up their sleeves for another covid-19 shot, even if they got a booster in the fall, an influential government advisory panel said Wednesday. The panel voted 11-1 to say Americans 65 and older should get another dose of the updated vaccine that...
Potential covid quarantine guidance change draws mixed reactions
Eleanor Nicholson of Apollo says she isn’t that concerned about covid. “Maybe (it’s) because I’ve never really had it. Nobody in my family has,” she said. Her opinion hasn’t changed with the reports that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention could drop the five-day waiting period for people who...
Paxlovid can lessen the chance of a severe covid-19 illness. Why is it underused?
Tens of thousands of Americans are hospitalized with covid-19 every week. Thousands die from it every month. And yet, an antiviral treatment proven to lessen the chances of severe outcomes is going underused. The drug, Paxlovid, is lauded by experts as a powerful tool that can prevent hospitalization and death...
How to get covid-19 antiviral pills like Paxlovid
For some people with covid-19, antiviral pills that can be taken at home can lessen the chances of winding up in the hospital. But the pills have to be taken right away, so you must get tested, obtain a prescription and get the medication within five days of symptoms appearing....
Ecuador’s escalating gang violence is broadcast live to the nation as masked gunmen storm TV studio
GUAYAQUIL, Ecuador — It was a day like any other at the TC Television studio in Ecuador, with its mid-afternoon newscast underway, when masked gunmen burst in, unleashing at least 15 minutes of threats and fear — all broadcast live. First, a man with a pistol appeared in the middle...
