Top Stories category, Page 1515
ER doctor who died of covid-19-like symptoms was Fayette County native
Fayette County native Dr. Frank Gabrin lived his life helping others, all the way up to the end. An ER physician at East Orange General Hospital in New Jersey, Dr. Gabrin generally worked the midnight shift because that’s when sick people would come in, his younger brother, Mike Gabrin of...
U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson hospitalized with coronavirusVideo
LONDON — British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was admitted to a hospital Sunday for tests, his office said, because he is still suffering symptoms, 10 days after he was diagnosed with covid-19. Johnson’s office said the admission to an undisclosed London hospital came on the advice of his doctor and...
Researchers discover anti-parasite drug kills coronavirus in labVideo
Researchers from Australia have found a drug already available around the world that can kill coronavirus in a lab setting in under 48 hours. In a study published Friday, researchers at Monash University in Melbourne said the anti-parasitic drug Ivermectin was found to halt the SARS-CoV-2 virus from growing in...
Defense Secretary defends firing of Navy Capt. Brett Crozier over coronavirus warningVideo
WASHINGTON — With the military under broad pressure to step up its coronavirus response, Defense Secretary Mark Esper on Sunday defended the firing of an aircraft carrier commander who sought help for sailors during an outbreak as a matter of holding leaders “accountable.” He also said the matter was under...
Allegheny Valley Hospital explores adding 100 beds if needed to support covid-19 surge
Allegheny Valley Hospital has enough space within its own walls to support as many as 100 more beds by converting the likes of physical therapy areas and family waiting lounges into clinical units, the hospital’s president said. Should the anticipated spike in covid-19 cases overwhelm the Alle-Kiski Valley’s existing options,...
NY’s death count nears 4,200, but there’s a glimmer of hope
NEW YORK — A slight dip in new coronavirus deaths in New York over the past 24 hours may be a glimmer of hope the spread is slowing, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Sunday as overall fatalities in the state climbed to nearly 4,200. Cuomo said it was too soon to...
Members of the 911th Airlift Wing headed to New York City to assist in covid-19 response
About 10 members of the 911th Airlift Wing with medical experience were mobilized Sunday from the U.S. Air Force Reserve Unit adjacent to Pittsburgh International Airport to support covid-19 efforts in New York City, the wing’s commander Col. John F. Robinson said. The airmen left the Moon Township base Sunday...
Pittsburgh pulmonologist discusses safety when working with coronavirus patientsVideo
Dr. Jennifer McComb is a pulmonologist who works in the intensive-care unit at UPMC Shadyside hospital, where more and more covid-19 patients are showing up. A pulmonologist is a doctor specializing in treating the respiratory system, the very thing covid-19 attacks. A wife and mother of two children, McComb works...
14 more coronavirus deaths recorded in Pa.; 1,493 new cases logged
Fourteen more people in Pennsylvania died of covid-19 between Saturday and Sunday, bringing the total number of people who have died from the virus in the state to 150. The state reported an additional 1,493 positive cases of covid-19, bringing the statewide total to 11,510. Sixty-five of the state’s 67...
Grocery workers are key during the virus. And they’re afraid.
AUSTIN, Texas — Every day, grocery workers are restocking toilet paper, eggs, produce and canned goods as fast as the items fly off the shelves. They disinfect keypads, freezer handles and checkout counters as hundreds of people weave around them, sometimes standing too close for comfort amid the coronavirus pandemic....
Surgeon general warns U.S. of ‘saddest week’ and ‘9/11 moment’
WASHINGTON — The U.S. surgeon general offered some of the starkest warnings yet Sunday as he braced Americans for the worsening fallout from the new coronavirus, warning “this is going to be the hardest and the saddest week of most Americans’ lives, quite frankly.” The public was advised separately by...
Pennsylvania issues safety guidelines for essential businesses
A safety order that provides life-sustaining businesses with direction on how to properly clean and maintain buildings to help prevent the spread of covid-19 was issued Sunday by state Secretary of Health Rachel Levine. The Building Safety Measures order goes into effect at 12:01 a.m. April 6. It outlines measures...
U.S. ‘wasted’ months before preparing for virus pandemic
WASHINGTON — After the first alarms sounded in early January that an outbreak of a novel coronavirus in China might ignite a global pandemic, the Trump administration squandered nearly two months that could have been used to bolster the federal stockpile of critically needed medical supplies and equipment. A review...
No covid-19 testing at home yet but quicker options coming
WASHINGTON — Home testing for the new coronavirus may sound like a good idea, but U.S. regulators say it’s still too risky. They’ve stopped companies that quickly launched home-testing kits until they can show their products can accurately detect the virus. For now, the only way Americans can get tested...
Palm Sunday services held without public; some on rooftops
VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis celebrated Palm Sunday Mass in the shelter of St. Peter’s Basilica without the public because of the coronavirus pandemic, while parish priests elsewhere in Rome took to church rooftops and bell towers to lead services so at least some faithful could follow the familiar ritual....
Caregiver at Washington County senior home tests positive for coronavirus
A caregiver at an assisted living center in Washington County has tested positive for covid-19, according to the Presbyterian SeniorCare Network. On Saturday, the facility reported a personal care aide at Southminster Place, the Washington campus of Presbyterian SeniorCare Network, tested positive. “The team member, who has not been at...
State police cite 2 people in Westmoreland County for ‘purposely coughing’ on workers
A worker at a fast-food restaurant in Hempfield and two staff members at a doctor’s office in Unity claim they were assaulted and harassed Saturday in separate incidents by people who purposely coughed on them, claiming to have coronavirus. State police said they will charge a 48-year-old North Huntingdon woman...
Westmoreland County company turns out vital parts for coronavirus test kits
The frontline fighters against the coronavirus in Westmoreland County most certainly include medical professionals, first responders and other health care workers treating patients. But workers at Latrobe-based Carclo Technical Plastics are quietly supporting their efforts through the manufacturing of tiny plastic collection tubes used around the globe in coronavirus testing...
2nd Port Authority bus driver tests positive for coronavirus
A second Port Authority of Allegheny County bus driver has tested positive for coronavirus, officials announced Saturday. The driver, who works out of the West Mifflin garage, has been self-quarantining since April 1, according to spokesman Adam Brandolph. The driver has not worked since March 21. No other information was...
Lower Burrell restaurant ‘honored to help,’ gives out 700 free meals
The Villa Ballanca restaurant in Lower Burrell gave out 700 free take-out meals Saturday. The restaurant owners posted an invitation on Facebook that it was serving “to-go” meals between noon and 3 p.m. The invitation read, in part, that the effort was “for those who are in need, trying to...
Pittsburgh pays tribute to 3 fallen officers on 11th anniversary of Stanton Heights ambush
Western Pennsylvania’s law enforcement leaders paid tribute Saturday morning to the three Pittsburgh police officers killed by a gunman during a Stanton Heights ambush 11 years ago. Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto joined Public Safety Director Wendell Hissrich at the bureau’s Zone 5 station for a brief ceremony in honor of...
Trump says ‘toughest’ weeks ahead as coronavirus spreads
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said Saturday that the United States was heading into what could be its “toughest” weeks as coronavirus cases swell nationwide. He warned states not to inflate their needs for critical medical equipment. “There will be a lot of death, unfortunately. There will be death,” Trump...
Greensburg diocese announces new coronavirus restrictions, church closures
The Catholic Diocese of Greensburg on Saturday announced church closures and limitations on funerals, weddings, baptism and confession and other restrictions in response to the covid-19 pandemic. “We are entering into a particularly critical moment for our society,” Bishop Edward C. Malesic said in a statement. “Our president and our...
Trump says second coronavirus panel with economic focus ‘good idea’
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said the notion of creating a second White House coronavirus task force to examine how best to reopen the country’s economy was a “good idea.” Trump tweeted an endorsement Saturday of a plan offered by Dana Perino, former press secretary to President George W. Bush....
West Virginia county bans liquor sales to out-of-state residents including Pennsylvanians
Western Pennsylvanians will have to look somewhere besides one popular neighboring West Virginia county to buy their liquor. The Monongalia County Health Department issued a public health order effective noon Saturday until further notice banning the sale of liquor to anyone without a West Virginia driver’s license or state identification....
