Coronavirus category, Page 13
Rich countries getting new covid vaccine before poorer ones
NEW DELHI — The company behind a covid-19 vaccine touted as a key tool for the developing world has sent tens of millions of doses to wealthy nations but provided none yet to the U.N.-backed effort to supply poorer countries, a sign that inequity persists in the global response to...
Moderna says its low-dose covid shots work for kids under 6
Moderna’s covid-19 vaccine works in babies, toddlers and preschoolers, the company announced Wednesday — and if regulators agree it could mean a chance to finally start vaccinating the littlest kids by summer. Moderna said in the coming weeks it would ask regulators in the U.S. and Europe to authorize two...
Sen. Bob Casey tests positive for covid-19
U.S. Senator Bob Casey, D-Scranton, has tested positive for covid-19, but said he is not experiencing symptoms. In a tweet posted Tuesday night, Casey said it was during regular testing that he received his positive result. Although he is grateful to be asymptomatic, he said he will isolate for five...
Hillary Clinton tests positive for covid; Bill quarantining
NEW YORK — Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Tuesday she has tested positive for covid-19 with “mild” symptoms. On social media, the former Democratic presidential candidate said she was “feeling fine” and that former President Bill Clinton had tested negative and was quarantining until their household was fully...
Scientists worry virus variant may push up covid cases in U.S.Video
With coronavirus cases rising in parts of Europe and Asia, scientists worry that an extra-contagious version of the omicron variant may soon push cases up in the United States too. Experts are also keeping their eyes on another mutant: a rare delta-omicron hybrid that they say doesn’t pose much of...
Doctors finding hurdles to using pills to treat covid-19
High-risk covid-19 patients now have new treatments they can take at home to stay out of the hospital — if doctors get the pills to them fast enough. Health systems around the country are rushing out same-day prescription deliveries. Some clinics have started testing and treating patients in one visit,...
U.S. covid infections likely to rise again, Dr. Anthony Fauci saysVideo
WASHINGTON — A likely rise in U.S. covid-19 cases probably won’t amount to a full-scale surge or prompt a renewal of widespread restrictions, one of President Joe Biden’s top advisers said. “The bottom line is we likely will see an uptick in cases, as we’ve seen in the European countries,...
German lawmakers vote to abolish pandemic restrictions
BERLIN — Lawmakers voted Friday to abolish most of Germany’s coronavirus pandemic restrictions despite a surge in cases with almost 300,000 new daily cases. The Bundestag passed an amendment to the pandemic rules in a 388-277 vote with two abstentions. The upper house of parliament, made up of Germany’s 16...
Moderna seeks FDA authorization for 4th dose of covid shot
WASHINGTON — Drugmaker Moderna asked the Food and Drug Administration on Thursday to authorize a fourth shot of its covid-19 vaccine as a booster dose for all adults. The request is broader than rival pharmaceutical company Pfizer’s request earlier this week for the regulator to approve a booster shot for...
U.S. adult smoking rate fell during first year of pandemic
NEW YORK — The first year of the covid-19 pandemic saw more Americans drinking heavily or using illicit drugs — but apparently not smoking. U.S. cigarette smoking dropped to a new all-time low in 2020, with 1 in 8 adults saying they were current smokers, according to survey data released...
Allegheny County to rely more on wastewater surveillance to calculate spread of covid-19
Two years and two days after the first covid-19 cases were reported in Allegheny County, Health Director Dr. Debra Bogen closed the latest chapter of the pandemic with optimism and provided insight on the new ways health officials will communicate pandemic data. The county will move away from biweekly briefings...
What to know about the omicron subvariant BA.2
A new version of the coronavirus that causes covid-19 has made its way through Europe and other parts of the world, and it now has been detected in the United States, including locally. It is not a new strain, but rather a variant of a variant — a subtype of...
Diabetes & covid-19: Scientists explore potential connection
When their 11-year-old son started losing weight and drinking lots of water, Tabitha and Bryan Balcitis chalked it up to a growth spurt and advice from his health class. But unusual crankiness and lethargy raised their concern, and tests showed his blood sugar levels were off the charts. Just six...
Poll: Most in U.S. say they’d go back to wearing masks if covid cases rise again
Now that it’s two years into the pandemic, most living in the United States aren’t as worried about the health risks covid-19 poses compared with the last several months — but they say they’d wear face masks if needed, according to a new poll. In fact, 3 in 4 U.S....
Doug Emhoff tests positive for covid-19, VP Kamala Harris still negative
WASHINGTON — Second gentleman Doug Emhoff has tested positive for covid-19, the White House announced Tuesday. Vice President Kamala Harris tested negative, but is curtailing her schedule as a result of her husband’s positive test. Harris spokesperson Sabrina Singh said Harris would not participate in a planned Equal Pay Day...
4th covid shot will be ‘necessary,’ says Pfizer CEO
Covid-19 shots could soon become an annual item on your to-do list. Due to waning effectiveness, particularly on variants like omicron, a fourth covid vaccine shot will be needed to keep hospitals and morgues quiet, Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said Sunday. “Right now, the way that we have seen, it...
For kids with covid-19, everyday life can be a struggle
WASHINGTON — Eight-year-old Brooklynn Chiles fidgets on the hospital bed as she waits for the nurse at Children’s National Hospital. The white paper beneath her crinkles as she shifts to look at the medical objects in the room. She’s had the coronavirus three times, and no one can figure out...
China shuts business center of Shenzhen to fight coronavirus surge
BEIJING — China’s government responded Sunday to a spike in coronavirus infections by shutting down its southern business center of Shenzhen, a city of 17.5 million people, and restricted access to Shanghai by suspending bus service. Everyone in Shenzhen, a finance and technology center that abuts Hong Kong, will undergo...
Barack Obama tests positive for covid-19, says he’s ‘feeling fine’
Former President Barack Obama said on Sunday that he had tested positive for the coronavirus, though he’s feeling relatively healthy and his wife, Michelle, tested negative. “I’ve had a scratchy throat for a couple days, but am feeling fine otherwise,” Obama said on Twitter. “Michelle and I are grateful to...
In America, a few days in March 2020 echo 2 years later
The conversations went like this: It will be just a few days. It can be kept at bay. There will be some inconvenience, sure, but the world will merely be paused — just a short break, out of an abundance of caution, and certainly not any kind of major grinding...
Judge rules against Port Authority union’s vaccine mandate challenge
An Allegheny County judge on Thursday ruled against the union representing Port Authority bus drivers in their challenge of a covid-19 vaccine requirement taking effect next week. In a two-page order, Common Pleas Judge John McVay denied Amalgamated Transit Union Local 85’s request for a preliminary injunction that would have...
U.S. extends mask rule for travel while weighing new approach
WASHINGTON — Federal officials are extending the requirement for masks on planes and public transportation for one more month — through mid-April — while taking steps that could lead to lifting the rule. The mask mandate was scheduled to expire March 18, but the Transportation Security Administration said Thursday that...
How will covid end? Experts look to past epidemics for clues
NEW YORK — Two years into the covid-19 pandemic, most of the world has seen a dramatic improvement in infections, hospitalizations and death rates in recent weeks, signaling the crisis appears to be winding down. But how will it end? Past epidemics may provide clues. The ends of epidemics are...
Hawaii to lift last U.S. state mask mandate by March 26
HONOLULU — The last statewide mask mandate in the U.S. will be lifted by March 26, Hawaii Gov. David Ige announced Tuesday. No states will require masks indoors after 11:59 p.m. March 25. Hawaii is the last to drop the pandemic safety measure, with Oregon’s and Washington state’s indoor mask...
Covid can shrink the brain as much as a decade of aging, study finds
Even a mild case of covid-19 can damage the brain and addle thinking, scientists found in a study that highlights the illness’s alarming impact on mental function. Researchers identified covid-associated brain damage months after infection, including in the region linked to smell, and shrinkage in size equivalent to as much...
