Coronavirus category, Page 14
Florida to recommend against covid vaccines for healthy kids
TALLAHASSEE — Florida Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo said Monday that the state will formally recommend against covid-19 vaccinations for healthy children. Ladapo made the announcement at a roundtable event organized by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis that featured a group of doctors who criticized coronavirus lockdowns and mandate policies. It...
Death toll surpasses 6 million for pandemic now in 3rd year
BANGKOK — The official global death toll from covid-19 eclipsed 6 million on Monday — underscoring that the pandemic, now entering its third year, is far from over. The milestone, recorded by Johns Hopkins University, is the latest tragic reminder of the unrelenting nature of the pandemic even as people...
Florida surgeon general on masks: It’s a ‘lie’ they save lives, calls doctors who disagree ‘zombies’Video
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo called the idea that masks saved any lives during the covid-19 pandemic “a lie, and it needs to stop and people need to unbelieve it.” Ladapo, who runs the state Department of Health, also said the vast majority of the medical...
As covid vaccine demand falls, states are left with huge stockpile
As demand for covid-19 vaccines collapses in many areas of the U.S., states are scrambling to use stockpiles of doses before they expire and have to be added to the millions that have already gone to waste. From some of the least vaccinated states, like Indiana and North Dakota, to...
Allegheny County has ‘turned a corner’ in covid pandemic, health official says
Allegheny County’s top health official said Wednesday that she is optimistic the county has “turned a corner” in the covid-19 pandemic, though disparities remain high among Black residents in every metric, including vaccination rates. “I am an optimist at heart, and I am optimistic that we have turned a corner,”...
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis admonishes high school students for wearing face masksVideo
TAMPA, Fla. — A visibly annoyed Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis admonished a group of students for wearing face masks at an indoor news conference Wednesday, saying it was time to stop what he called “this covid theater.” DeSantis, a fierce opponent of virus mask and vaccine mandates, approached the students...
Court throws out school mask lawsuits by Upper St. Clair, North Allegheny
The Third U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Tuesday dismissed as moot two lawsuits against local school districts over mask mandates. The court said in its order that the complaints against the Upper St. Clair and North Allegheny school districts no longer present a controversy because Allegheny County isn’t deemed...
Biden admin: Covid should no longer ‘dictate how we live’
WASHINGTON — It’s time for America to stop letting the coronavirus “dictate how we live,” President Joe Biden’s White House declared Wednesday, outlining a strategy to allow people to return to many normal activities safely after two years of pandemic disruptions. One highlight is a new “test to treat” plan...
Officials: Pfizer shots protect kids from severe covid even in omicron
Pfizer’s covid-19 vaccine gave children 5 and older strong protection against hospitalization and death even during the omicron surge that hit youngsters especially hard, U.S. health officials reported Tuesday. New data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention come a day after a study of New York children suggested...
Covid cases at Westmoreland jail slow amid county decline
Coronavirus cases at Westmoreland County Prison continue to decline. Warden Bryan Kline said Monday that just five inmates are currently infected with the virus, the lowest number of positive cases the Hempfield lockup has seen in several months. There were 542 inmates in the jail on Monday. “Our visitation and...
New York to lift statewide school mask mandate by March 2
NEW YORK — New York’s statewide masking requirement in schools will be lifted by March 2, Gov. Kathy Hochul said Sunday, citing a dramatic drop in covid-19 infections and new federal guidelines. Hours later, New York City Mayor Eric Adams said he’s considering lifting vaccine mandates on restaurants, bars and...
CDC loosens mask guidance, Pa. health chief says state moving into ‘next phase’ of living with covid
As the federal government loosens masking guidance for a majority of healthy Americans, Pennsylvania officials said they will follow suit while keeping an eye on covid-related hospital admissions and case counts should they begin to rise again. “Pennsylvania is moving in the right direction,” said Acting Secretary of Health Keara...
CDC: Most Americans can stop wearing masks as risk of severe covid infection eases
Most Americans live in places where healthy people, including students in schools, can safely stop wearing masks under new U.S. guidelines released Friday. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention outlined the new set of measures for communities where covid-19 is easing its grip, with less of a focus on...
CDC to significantly ease pandemic mask guidelines Friday
WASHINGTON — The Biden administration will significantly loosen federal mask-wearing guidelines to protect against covid-19 transmission on Friday, according to two people familiar with the matter, meaning most Americans will no longer be advised to wear masks in indoor public settings. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday...
Pa. officials address concerns about vaccination data
State health officials on Thursday said there should not be concern over the veracity of federal data they used to tout the state’s covid-19 vaccination rate among adults as 95%. In a release from Gov. Tom Wolf’s office Wednesday, officials celebrated the milestone that a spokesperson said was based on...
England ends all covid restrictions, including isolation law
LONDON — All government-mandated coronavirus restrictions in England were lifted Thursday, including the legal requirement for people who test positive for covid-19 to isolate at home. Officials say that those who tested positive will still be advised to stay at home for at least five days. But from Thursday they...
Pa. touts high covid vaccine rate using questionable data
Pennsylvania officials on Wednesday touted a milestone in covid-19 vaccinations based on federal data, though some experts have for months cast doubt on the veracity of those numbers. Gov. Tom Wolf, using numbers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, declared on Twitter and in a press release that...
U.S. vaccination drive is bottoming out as omicron subsides
A handwritten log kept by nurses tells the story of the losing battle to get more people vaccinated against covid-19 in this corner of Alabama: Just 14 people showed up at the Marion County Health Department for their initial shot during the first six weeks of the year. That was...
CDC: Some people should wait longer for 2nd covid shot
Some people getting Pfizer or Moderna covid-19 vaccines should consider waiting up to eight weeks between the first and second doses, instead of the three or four weeks previously recommended, U.S. health officials said. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday quietly changed its advice on spacing the...
Is omicron leading us closer to herd immunity against covid?
Is omicron leading us closer to herd immunity against covid-19? Experts say it’s not likely that the highly transmissible variant — or any other variant — will lead to herd immunity. “Herd immunity is an elusive concept and doesn’t apply to coronavirus,” says Dr. Don Milton at the University of...
Boris Johnson scraps remaining covid restrictions in England
LONDON — British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Monday that he is scrapping of the last domestic coronavirus restrictions in England, including the requirement for people with covid-19 to self-isolate. Johnson said the country was “moving from government restrictions to personal responsibility” as part of a plan for treating covid-19...
What’s the true covid death toll in Pa.? New analysis sheds light
For many reasons, it’s hard to know the full impact of the covid-19 pandemic. Some deaths may have gone uncounted for reasons such as the person died at home and was never tested. A person may have died from an existing disease exacerbated by covid-19. Or a person may have...
Not for ‘another 100’: Hope held that pandemic fades in Year 3, becomes part of normal cycle
Amy Ranker needed to restock her pantry, so she headed to her local Giant Eagle in Hempfield. She picked a Tuesday afternoon, when the supermarket is usually less crowded. She took her time wheeling a full cart through the produce department. Taking care with her shopping selections, she used a...
Estimated 73% of U.S. now immune to omicron: Is that enough?
The omicron wave that assaulted the United States this winter also bolstered its defenses, leaving enough protection against the coronavirus that future spikes will likely require much less — if any — dramatic disruption to society. Millions of individual Americans’ immune systems now recognize the virus and are primed to...
As virus surged, few Pa. schools signed up for free covid-19 testing
Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan newsroom powered by The Philadelphia Inquirer in partnership with PennLive/The Patriot-News, TribLIVE/Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, and WITF Public Media. Sign up for our free newsletters. HARRISBURG — Nearly six months into the school year, the majority of Pennsylvania schools have not opted into a free, on-site...
