Health category, Page 104
10 ways to protect your skin while wearing a mask
During the covid-19 pandemic, many Americans are wearing face masks for extended periods of time for the first time in their lives. This has brought about a number of skin issues, from flaring of eczema to worsening of acne. Dr. Suzan Obagi, associate professor of dermatology at the UPMC Cosmetic...
Coronavirus pandemic can be alarming for Western Pa. allergy sufferers
For most people, opening a window or stepping outside for a breath of fresh air is a welcome respite, especially during Pennsylvania’s stay-at-home order. But for those with allergies, pollen from trees and grass can bring misery. The allergens can cause a runny nose, malaise, watery eyes and coughing —which...
Public safety officials: Don’t hesitate to call 911 over covid-19 concern
Pittsburgh-area medical personnel and public safety officials don’t want residents hesitating to call 911 if they have an emergency, especially if that hesitation is out of fear of going to a hospital during the coronavirus pandemic. “We don’t want anyone making their personal health situation worse by not calling 911...
European doctors warn rare kids’ syndrome may have coronavirus tieVideo
LONDON — Doctors in Britain, Italy, and Spain have been warned to look out for a rare inflammatory condition in children that is possibly linked to the new coronavirus. Earlier this week, Britain’s Paediatric Intensive Care Society issued an alert to doctors noting that in the past three weeks, there...
Health officials ready new guidelines as restrictions easeVideo
WASHINGTON — Businesses should close break rooms. Restaurants should consider disposable menus and plates. Schools should have students eat lunch in their classrooms. These are some of the recommendations offered in new federal plans designed to help restaurants, schools, churches and businesses safely reopen as states look to gradually lift...
Pennsylvania officials issue guidance on resuming elective surgeries
Hospitals and surgical centers in Pennsylvania can resume elective procedures that have been halted for weeks by the coronavirus pandemic. State Secretary of Health Rachel Levine said Monday such surgeries and procedures may begin again as long as hospitals still would be ready for a potential surge in covid-19 cases....
Trump claims sarcasm in comments about injecting disinfectants
WASHINGTON — Don’t inject disinfectants, health officials leapt to warn on Friday, reacting to President Donald Trump’s comment that disinfectants perhaps could be injected or ingested to fight covid-19. His suggestion even prompted the maker of Lysol to warn its product should never be used internally. “As a global leader...
‘Extremely dangerous’: Health officials warn not to ingest disinfectants for any reason, including covid-19
Pennsylvania’s top health official on Friday warned that no one, under any circumstance, should ingest or inject disinfectants of any kind. “I can say that any type of ingesting or injecting a (disinfectant) would be extremely dangerous — extremely dangerous,” Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine said during a media...
Gov. Wolf: Mental health resources available for pandemic stress, anxiety
Resources are available for people having trouble coping or experiencing a mental health crisis spurred by the coronavirus pandemic and the isolation it has wrought. Gov. Tom Wolf on Friday reiterated a list of resources available. The mitigation efforts to combat the coronavirus are necessary for public health, he said,...
U.S. states build stockpiles of malaria drug touted by Trump
SALT LAKE CITY — State and local governments across the United States have obtained 30 million doses of a malaria drug touted by President Trump to treat patients with the new coronavirus, despite warnings from doctors that more research is needed. At least 21 states and Washington, D.C. secured shipments...
Makers of Lysol warn about ingesting disinfectants following Trump’s coronavirus statements
WASHINGTON — The parent company of Lysol disinfectant warned Friday that its products should not be used internally to treat covid-19 after President Donald Trump wondered about the prospect during a White House briefing. Trump noted Thursday that researchers were looking at the effects of disinfectants on the virus and...
Answering the Call: Pittsburgh nurse talks about impact of coronavirus on ICUVideo
Amber Holshue is a senior professional nurse II working in the adult intensive care unit at UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital. She has been an ICU nurse at Magee for four years. The covid-19 outbreak has made her work even more challenging. The hospital now cannot have visitors in the ICU ,...
Trump administration offers plan to cover coronavirus care for uninsured
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration announced a plan Wednesday to start paying hospitals and doctors who care for uninsured patients with coronavirus, but Democratic lawmakers and health industry groups are likely to press for more. Under the approach detailed by Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar, hospitals and doctors...
During a pandemic, a simple cough can turn into a weapon
A woman coughs on a state trooper and claims she has coronavirus. A man coughs on a medical employee who is wearing a mask, telling her the mask won’t help her. The pandemic surging across the country has turned into a sick joke — and perhaps something more sinister —...
U.S. approves 1st home coronavirus test with self-swabVideo
WASHINGTON — U.S. health regulators on Tuesday gave approval the first coronavirus test that allows people to collect their own sample at home, a new approach that could help expand testing options in most states. The test from LabCorp will initially only be available to health care workers and first...
Coronavirus treatment guidelines reject drug combination backed by TrumpVideo
A panel of medical experts convened by the U.S. National Institutes of Health recommended against the use of a drug combination touted by President Donald Trump for covid-19 patients. The NIH panel — made up of 50 doctors, pharmacy experts and government researchers and officials — specifically recommended against the...
Franklin Regional nurse wins state association’s Excellence in School Nursing Award
As Franklin Regional Middle School nurse Beth Frydrych was about to be recognized with a statewide award, she found herself forced to reinvent her role as the coronavirus pandemic made its way into Western Pennsylvania. “It’s all new, and who knows what will come up?” asked Frydrych of Murrysville, who...
Reports suggest many have had coronavirus with no symptoms
A flood of new research suggests that far more people have had the coronavirus without any symptoms, fueling hope that it will turn out to be much less lethal than originally feared. While that’s clearly good news, it also means it’s impossible to know who around you may be contagious....
Detroit mayor says essential workers will be tested for the coronavirus regardless of symptomsVideo
Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan said Friday that the city will offer covid-19 tests to employees in the city who work at essential businesses like grocery stores and banks. According to the Detroit Free Press, Duggan wants to be the first city in the United States to ensure that key members...
Coronavirus infections could be much more widespread than believed, California study suggests
In the weeks since the coronavirus outbreak has squelched daily life in America, researchers have struggled to assess the true spread of the virus. But initial results from a Northern California study on coronavirus antibodies suggest it has circulated much more widely than previously thought, according to a report released...
Judge: Tennessee can’t prevent abortions during coronavirus
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — A federal judge Friday night ruled that Tennessee has to continue allowing abortions amid a temporary ban on nonessential medical procedures that’s aimed at slowing the spread of COVID-19. U.S. District Judge Bernard Friedman said the defendants didn’t show that any appreciable amount of personal protective equipment,...
Racial toll of virus grows even starker as more data emerges
As a clearer picture emerges of COVID-19’s decidedly deadly toll on black Americans, leaders are demanding a reckoning of the systemic policies they say have made many African Americans far more vulnerable to the virus, including inequity in access to health care and economic opportunity. A growing chorus of medical...
‘Live Free or Die:’ Protesters march against California stay-at-home rules in Huntington Beach
HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. — A group of more than 100 protesters converged on Huntington Beach on Friday in a demonstration against California’s coronavirus stay-at-home rules, part of a series of national demonstration organized by conservative groups. The protesters — some with Trump banners and American flags — mostly were not...
Penn State Health taking part in global clinical trial of antiviral drug for covid-19
Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center has started enrolling participants in an international clinical trial evaluating an investigational antiviral drug, remdesivir, for treatment of covid-19. Remdesivir, developed by Gilead Sciences Inc., was previously tested in humans with Ebola and has shown some therapeutic benefit against SARS and MERS...
Hospitals looking for more help; lawmakers say Pennsylvania shorted on CARES Act relief
Hospitals across the region that are looking to recover revenue they lost while preparing to meet a surge in covid-19 cases say they need more help and are seeking a more equitable piece of the pie as the federal government rolls out the remaining $70 billion of a $100 billion...
