CDC: Nearly everyone is returning for 2nd covid-19 shotVideo
More than 95% of the people who have received the first dose of the two-shot coronavirus vaccine regimen have returned on time for their second, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says. The public health agency saw the statistics, which it compiled between Dec. 14 and Feb. 14,...
Moderna begins testing its covid-19 vaccine in children as young as 6 monthsVideo
Moderna Inc. said it has begun delivering experimental doses of its covid-19 vaccine to children as part of a study to determine whether it is safe and effective in those as young as 6 months. The trial aims to enroll about 6,750 volunteers in the United States and Canada. The...
Google gets into sleep surveillance with new Nest Hub screen
Google’s next internet-connected home device will test whether consumers trust the company enough to let it snoop on their sleep. New sleep-sensing technology will be a key feature on Google’s latest version of its Nest Hub, a 7-inch smart screen unveiled Tuesday. Like the previous generation, the $100 Nest Hub...
Still green and mean, Mr. Yuk turns 50Video
Mr. Yuk is still Mean. Mr. Yuk is still Green. Mr. Yuk still can be seen. He’s turning 50. That fluorescent green face inside the circle means: Stay away. Created by Dr. Richard Moriarty in Pittsburgh, Mr. Yuk’s menacing mug continues to be placed on the outside of bottles and...
Survivors struggle as scientists race to solve covid mystery
There was no reason to celebrate on Rachel Van Lear’s anniversary. The same day a global pandemic was declared, she developed symptoms of covid-19. A year later, she’s still waiting for them to disappear. And for experts to come up with some answers. The Texas woman is one of thousands...
UN says Ebola in Guinea may be linked to 2014 outbreak
A top official at the World Health Organization said that a genetic analysis of the ongoing Ebola outbreak in Guinea suggests it may have been sparked by a survivor of the devastating West Africa epidemic that ended five years ago. At a press briefing in Geneva, WHO emergencies chief Dr....
Covid or allergies? Here we go again as spring approaches in Western Pa.
While many are eager to welcome warmer temperatures, seasonal allergy sufferers in Western Pennsylvania are likely bracing for the onset of familiar symptoms like watery eyes, nasal congestion and sore throat. Some of those symptoms resemble covid-19, which may make it difficult for some people to determine whether they’re contending...
Global rise in childhood mental health issues amid pandemic
PARIS — By the time his parents rushed him to the hospital, 11-year-old Pablo was barely eating and had stopped drinking entirely. Weakened by months of self-privation, his heart had slowed to a crawl and his kidneys were faltering. Medics injected him with fluids and fed him through a tube...
EU regulator approves J&J’s one-shot covid vaccine
AMSTERDAM — The European Medicines Agency has authorized Johnson & Johnson’s one-dose coronavirus vaccine, giving the European Union’s 27 nations a fourth licensed vaccine to try to curb the pandemic amid a stalled vaccination drive in the bloc. In a decision issued Thursday, the EU medicines regulator said it was...
WQED, Western Pa. groups to host youth mental health virtual event
In addition to all the other problems it has caused, the covid-19 pandemic has given rise to mental health issues for 11- to- 17-year-olds. The disruption of in-person classes, as well as extracurricular and social activities, has left a significant number of young people depressed and worried about their futures....
Looking for a covid-19 vaccine? This site can help find spares — but you’ll need patienceVideo
In an attempt to rid Americans of the tedious task of refreshing websites for hours on end, a team of 21 medical advisers, technology experts and business people are running a site that matches covid-19 vaccine providers with leftover doses to people who want one. The free service, coined Dr....
California and Florida took vastly different approaches to covid. Here’s how it turned out.
A year into the pandemic, California and Florida have become common points of contrast as Americans grapple with the horrific human and economic tolls of trying to control covid-19. Though the states took wildly different approaches to the pandemic, their rates of death from covid-19 differ as much as one...
Pittsburgh-based Dr. Amesh Adalja cherishes role as voice of the pandemic
Nobody could blame Dr. Amesh Adalja if he feels somewhat reluctant to check his email or go to the mailbox on certain days. The Pittsburgh-based infectious disease expert, who is of Indian descent, has been on the receiving end of everything from overtly racist emails, including being called “dirt skin,”...
Western Pa. health experts cautious about CDC’s mask-shedding guidance
Western Pennsylvania health professionals say the newest public health guidelines about maskless gatherings are a “measured step toward normalcy” — but they also come with some concerns. “I worry a little bit, frankly, that people will maybe misinterpret this particular guidance, and think it gives more freedoms than it really...
Solid sign-ups for Biden’s new ‘Obamacare’ coverage offer
WASHINGTON — More than 200,000 people signed up for coverage in the first two weeks after President Joe Biden reopened HealthCare.gov as part of his coronavirus response, the government said Wednesday. The solid start to the three-month special enrollment period indicates a pent-up demand for health insurance as the covid-19...
Countries urge drug companies to share vaccine know-how
PARIS — In an industrial neighborhood on the outskirts of Bangladesh’s largest city lies a factory with gleaming new equipment imported from Germany, its immaculate hallways lined with hermetically sealed rooms. It is operating at just a quarter of its capacity. It is one of three factories that The Associated...
U.S. panel endorses 3rd vaccine option from Johnson & JohnsonVideo
WASHINGTON — A U.S. advisory panel has endorsed the new one-dose covid-19 vaccine from Johnson & Johnson as a third option to bolster the national effort against the coronavirus pandemic. Advisers to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention voted overwhelmingly to recommend the vaccine for adults 18 years old...
Flu season virtually ‘nonexistent’ as coronavirus mitigation efforts help curtail illnesses, doctors say
Despite fears that influenza would combine with covid-19 to create a so-called “twindemic,” this flu season has been a mild one. Allegheny County so far has reported zero flu-related deaths, three hospitalizations and 180 cases. That’s a notable drop from last year’s 12 deaths, 115 hospitalizations and over 10,000 cases....
Despite pandemic, UPMC rakes in record-high $23.1 billion in 2020 revenue
The coronavirus pandemic did not thwart UPMC from raking in a record-high $23.1 billion in 2020 operating revenue — nearly $2.5 billion more than the nonprofit health system generated in 2019 and $10 billion more than it did five years ago, data released Friday show. UPMC Chief Financial Officer Ed...
U.S. advisers endorse single-shot covid-19 vaccine from Johnson & Johnson
WASHINGTON — U.S. health advisers endorsed a one-dose covid-19 vaccine from Johnson & Johnson on Friday, putting the nation on the cusp of adding an easier-to-use option to fight the pandemic. The Food and Drug Administration is expected to quickly follow the recommendation and make J&J’s shot the third vaccine...
Excela Health Westmoreland Hospital makes Newsweek list of top maternity centers
The Family Additions Maternity Center at Excela Health Westmoreland Hospital made Newsweek’s list of Best Maternity Hospitals 2021. Excela Health is one of 217 hospitals across 36 states on the annual list compiled by the news magazine in partnership with The Leapfrog Group, a national nonprofit organization that reports on...
Small pet turtles linked to Pennsylvania salmonella outbreak
Tiny turtles have sparked a salmonella outbreak that killed one person and sickened at least eight others, state health officials said Wednesday. The outbreak has been linked to small pet turtles purchased from street vendors, said Acting Secretary of Health Alison Beam. She said a majority of the cases have...
Johnson & Johnson’s covid vaccine could get green light by the end of the weekVideo
An advisory panel from the Food and Drug Administration will meet Friday to consider approving Johnson & Johnson’s one-dose coronavirus vaccine. The company has applied to the FDA for emergency authorization. The panel is expected to grant that as early as this weekend, after it discusses the effectiveness and safety...
UPMC website allows registration for covid-19 vaccine appointments
UPMC will allow people to register online or via phone for notifications and appointment scheduling information for the covid-19 vaccine, though the limited supply means there are no appointments to be had right now. The website encourages those who are eligible to sign up online so they can be contacted...
Pitt students, volunteers create VaccinatePA to connect residents with vaccination infoVideo
The coronavirus vaccine rollout in Pennsylvania has created frustration for state officials and residents alike, with counties creating online registries to help get constituents the information they need and hospitals struggling to minimize wasted vaccine doses. But a group of University of Pittsburgh students, with the help of a couple...
