Health category, Page 84

Allegheny Health Network on Thursday announced the appointment of a vice president of diversity, equity and inclusion. Veronica Villalobos will fill the position, working closely with AHN’s recently hired Chief Clinical Diversity and Inclusion Officer, Dr. Margaret Larkins-Pettigrew. Together, they’ll strive to build an inclusive workforce and address health disparities...

WASHINGTON — A government advisory panel endorsed widespread use of Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine Thursday, putting the country just one step away from launching an epic vaccination campaign against the outbreak that has killed close to 300,000 Americans. Shots could begin within days, depending on how quickly the Food and Drug...

Even as covid-19 cases skyrocket across Pennsylvania and case investigators prioritize who they will call, state officials on Tuesday urged everyone to please answer the phone and cooperate when investigators and contact tracers reach out to them. “In order to effectively contact trace, we need Pennsylvanians to participate in case...

UPMC appointed a new president of the Center for Emergency Medicine of Western Pennsylvania, which focuses on prehospital care and paramedic services. James Houser will succeed Doug Garretson, who retired in October. Houser will run the critical care air ambulance service, STAT MedEvac, with helicopters throughout the Western Pennsylvania region,...

Scientists are seeing promising early results from the first studies testing gene editing for painful, inherited blood disorders that plague millions worldwide, especially Black people. Doctors hope the one-time treatment, which involves permanently altering DNA in blood cells with a tool called CRISPR, may treat and possibly cure sickle cell...

Two Eastern Pennsylvania companies are working on creating ingestible covid-19 vaccines in drinkable and capsule forms, and leaders hope they could be on the market sometime next year. The vaccine work comes from a partnership between VaxForm and U.S. Specialty Formulations, the latter of which plans to expand its Allentown...

Pennsylvania health officials announced Tuesday the state will begin administering free covid-19 testing in counties that do not have their own health departments. Only six Pennsylvania counties have their own health departments, including Allegheny and Erie counties in Western Pennsylvania. Other counties are Philadelphia, Montgomery, Chester and Bucks. “Our goal...

Isolation through the holiday season could exacerbate the country’s existing mental health crisis amid the covid-19 pandemic. Officials on Tuesday reminded Pennsylvania residents of available resources for mental health and substance abuse treatment. “We know that these decisions and spending an important time of year away from loved ones can...

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Hospitals across West Virginia will reduce elective surgeries to ensure there is enough space to accommodate coronavirus patients as the number of cases continues to surge, Gov. Jim Justice said Monday. Hospitals will be able to maintain their available bed capacities “at this moment,” Justice said at...

SAN DIEGO — Data from San Diego County suggests that few residents have gotten covid-19 twice so far, echoing findings from researchers across the globe. The Union-Tribune asked the County of San Diego Health and Human Services Agency for the number of people who’ve tested positive for the coronavirus twice,...

ATLANTA — A new report issued this week by the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the coronavirus death toll could reach up to 321,000 by the middle of December. According to the CDC’s “COVID-19 Forecasts: Deaths,” models are predicting the number of coronavirus deaths will likely increase...

AstraZeneca Plc. is likely to conduct an additional global trial to assess the efficacy of its covid-19 vaccine, according to the company’s chief executive officer, after current studies raised questions over its level of protection. The new trial would be run instead of adding an arm to an ongoing U.S....

NEW YORK — Cleaning wipes are harder to find on store shelves, and businesses are reassuring customers with stepped up sanitation measures. In New York, the subway system is shut down nightly for disinfecting. To avoid any traces of the coronavirus that might be lurking on surfaces, Americans have been...

WILKES-BARRE — Asymptomatic testing will now be available for individuals 13 and older at existing Rite Aid testing sites, the company announced Tuesday. To continue to provide its customers with an essential service during the pandemic, Rite Aid is updating its covid-19 testing program through its partnership with the U.S....

LONDON — The Duchess of Sussex has revealed that she had a miscarriage in July, giving a personal account of the traumatic experience in hope of helping others. Meghan described the miscarriage in an opinion piece in the New York Times on Wednesday, writing that “I knew, as I clutched...

Purdue Pharma pleaded guilty Tuesday to three criminal charges, formally taking responsibility for its part in an opioid epidemic that has contributed to hundreds of thousands of deaths but also angering critics who want to see individuals held accountable, in addition to the company. In a virtual hearing with a...

GENEVA — The head of emergencies at the World Health Organization says it’s “extremely important” for its international team to visit China to look into the origins of the coronavirus, saying the U.N. health agency has been reassured such a trip will happen “as soon as possible.” Dr. Michael Ryan...

Instead of offering one or more options, some companies are turning health insurance shopping over to employees. A federal rule change last year stoked this new approach. It allows employers to reimburse workers for coverage they bought without paying a tax penalty. The concept sends employees to individual insurance markets...

LONDON — Pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca said Monday that late-stage trials showed its coronavirus vaccine was up to 90% effective, giving public health officials hope they may soon have access to a vaccine that is cheaper and easier to distribute than some of its rivals. The results are based on interim...

Pennsylvania’s new state-run health exchange is among the many pieces of the Affordable Care Act that would be in peril if the Trump administration’s attack on it prevails in the Supreme Court, consumer advocates warn. The state’s insurance enrollment system, called Pennie, debuts this season’s open enrollment period, which runs...