Coronavirus category, Page 32
Measure on masking in youth sports clears Pa. House committee
HARRISBURG — Legislation that cleared a House committee on Monday would give Pennsylvania school districts the authority to decide whether student athletes must wear masks while playing. The Republican-controlled House State Government Committee approved the measure 15-10 along party lines. It would give “exclusive authority” to schools, recreational clubs, community...
CDC director warns of ‘dire straits’ in covid-hit areas of U.S.Video
WASHINGTON — Parts of the U.S. health system “are in dire straits,” as the spread of the covid-19 delta variant forces some states to prepare for rationed medical care, said Rochelle Walensky, head of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “That means that we are talking about who...
U.S. has enough covid-19 vaccines for boosters, kids’ shotsVideo
MADISON, Wis. — With more than 40 million doses of coronavirus vaccines available, U.S. health authorities said they’re confident there will be enough for both qualified older Americans seeking booster shots and the young children for whom initial vaccines are expected to be approved in the not-too-distant future. The spike...
Federal judge deals blow to vaccine mandate for NYC teachers
NEW YORK — New York City schools have been temporarily blocked from enforcing a vaccine mandate for its teachers and other workers by a federal appeals judge just days before it was to take effect. The worker mandate for the the nation’s largest school system was set to go into...
Covid-19 vaccine boosters could mean billions for drugmakers
Billions more in profits are at stake for some vaccine makers as the U.S. moves toward dispensing covid-19 booster shots to shore up Americans’ protection against the virus. How much the manufacturers stand to gain depends on how big the rollout proves to be. The Biden administration last month announced...
What you need to know about Pfizer booster shots and eligibility for them
Millions of Americans are now eligible to receive a Pfizer booster shot to help increase their protection against the worst effects of the coronavirus. A look at the nuts and bolts of this new phase of the vaccination campaign: Who should get the Pfizer booster? People who got two Pfizer...
CDC: Studies show masks lessen school outbreaks
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention data from the new K-12 school year bolster the agency’s recommendation for masks in schools and in-person classes. One study in two Arizona counties found coronavirus outbreaks were almost four times more common at public schools without mask mandates on the first day...
UPMC: Get covid booster shot if you’re eligible
Older Americans and adults with high-risk medical conditions should get a covid booster shot if they are eligible, UPMC doctors said Friday. “We want you to have the best possible immune response,” said Dr. Donald Yealy, UPMC’s chief medical officer and chair of emergency medicine. “We want you to be...
N.Y. hospitals fear staff shortage as vaccine deadline looms
NEW YORK — Hospitals and nursing homes in New York are bracing for the possibility that a statewide covid-19 vaccine mandate for health care workers could lead to staff shortages when it takes effect Monday. Doctors and nurses — and also support staff, like food service workers and cleaners —...
CDC director expands group eligible for covid-19 booster shot
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday endorsed booster shots for millions of older or otherwise vulnerable Americans, opening a major new phase in the U.S vaccination drive against covid-19. CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky signed off on a series of recommendations from a panel of advisers late...
Alaska reports a daily record 1,330 coronavirus infections
Alaska’s unprecedented covid-19 crisis escalated Thursday with the state reporting seven new deaths, a record 1,330 new cases and a near-record 209 hospitalizations. It’s the third time in two weeks that the daily record has been broken: The previous highs were recorded Wednesday, with 1,251 cases, and Sept. 15, with...
South Korea reports biggest daily virus jump
South Korea has reported its biggest daily jump in coronavirus since the start of the pandemic as people returned from the country’s biggest holiday of the year. The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said more than 1,750 of the 2,434 new cases reported Friday were from the greater capital...
CDC advisers try to work out the details on booster shots
With booster doses of Pfizer’s covid-19 vaccine now authorized in the U.S., government advisers reconvened on Thursday to tackle the most contentious question yet: Exactly who should roll up their sleeves right away? Late Wednesday, the Food and Drug Administration signed off on extra shots of the Pfizer formula for...
Is the delta variant of the coronavirus worse for kids?
Is the delta variant of the coronavirus worse for kids? Experts say there’s no strong evidence that it makes children and teens sicker than earlier versions of the virus, although delta has led to a surge in infections among kids because it’s more contagious. Delta’s ability to spread more easily...
Alaska plans to help hospitals with covid-19 crisis care
JUNEAU — Alaska officials outlined plans Wednesday to help hospitals with crisis standards of care if needed amid a surge in covid-19 cases and announced short-term contracts for more than 400 health care personnel to relieve medical facilities with overtaxed staffs. State health commissioner Adam Crum signed an addendum to...
FDA backs Pfizer covid-19 boosters for seniors, high-risk
The United States moved a step closer Wednesday to offering booster doses of Pfizer’s covid-19 vaccine to senior citizens and others at high risk from the virus as the Food and Drug Administration signed off on the targeted use of extra shots. The FDA authorized booster doses for Americans who...
Allegheny County health official: Unvaccinated residents 10 times more likely to be hospitalized with covid
Unvaccinated residents in Allegheny County are 10 times more likely to be hospitalized with covid-19 than those who are vaccinated, and they’re 20 times as likely to die from the virus, county health director Dr. Debra Bogen said Wednesday. Bogen, who has held briefings on the virus nearly every week...
Mormon church to require masks in temples amid covid surge
SALT LAKE CITY — The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announced Wednesday that masks will be required inside temples to limit the spread of covid-19. Church leaders said in a statement that masks will be required temporarily in an effort to keep temples open. The message was the...
Covid-19 creates dire U.S. shortage of teachers, school staff
SAN FRANCISCO — One desperate California school district is sending flyers home in students’ lunchboxes, telling parents it’s “now hiring.” Elsewhere, principals are filling in as crossing guards, teachers are being offered signing bonuses and schools are moving back to online learning. Now that schools have welcomed students back to...
Idaho’s covid outlook dire as cases continue to climb
BOISE — Health care workers are exhausted and angry. Some of Idaho’s coronavirus vaccines are expiring because they have sat unused for so long. And coronavirus case numbers and deaths continue to climb, putting the state among the worst in the nation for the rate of new covid-19 diagnoses. Idaho’s...
New Florida surgeon general on covid: ‘We’re done with fear’
TALLAHASSEE — Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis named a UCLA doctor and health policy researcher who shares his approach to managing the coronavirus pandemic to serve as the state’s surgeon general Tuesday. Like DeSantis, Dr. Jospeh Ladapo said he doesn’t believe in school closures, lockdowns or vaccine mandates. “Florida will...
‘Soul-crushing’: U.S. covid-19 deaths are topping 1,900 a dayVideo
Covid-19 deaths in the U.S. have climbed to an average of more than 1,900 a day for the first time since early March, with experts saying the virus is preying largely on a distinct group: 71 million unvaccinated Americans. The increasingly lethal turn has filled hospitals, complicated the start of...
Pa. health leaders ready covid boosters for 65 and older population
Pennsylvania health officials on Tuesday pledged that covid-19 vaccine providers would be ready when federal guidance on potential booster shots comes down, something that is expected to come Thursday. An advisory panel to the Food and Drug Administration last week issued a narrow recommendation in terms of which Americans should...
Johnson & Johnson: Booster dose of its covid shot prompts strong response
LONDON — Johnson & Johnson released data showing that a booster dose to its one-shot coronavirus vaccine provides a strong immune response months after people receive a first dose. J&J said in statement Tuesday that it ran two early studies in people previously given its vaccine and found that a...
West Virginia virus cases drop for first time in months; deaths way up
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Active coronavirus cases in West Virginia have fallen dramatically in recent days, bringing a hope that the latest surge is at or past its peak but prompting warnings that deaths and record hospitalizations will continue to swell before dropping, too, officials said Monday. The number of current...
