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COVID-19

PA justices: Mask mandate for K-12 schools remains for now

HARRISBURG — An order requiring masks inside Pennsylvania’s K-12 schools and child care facilities will remain in place while the state Supreme Court considers the governor’s appeal of a lawsuit that overturned the mandate, the high court ruled Tuesday. The justices in a 5-1 decision put on hold a lower-court order that said the mask mandate would not remain in place as litigation over it continued. If the justices hadn’t acted, the mask mandate would have ended on Saturday. The high court said its decision was not the last word and may be reconsidered after it hears oral ...

Natural COVID immunity does not outshine vaccination benefits

DEAR DR. ROACH: I am told by doctors that the natural immunity your body develops by having had the COVID-19 virus is just as, or even more, effective at protecting you as one of the three vaccines that you are pushing people to get. Like I’ve read up on, natural immunity is science also. Will you please confirm or deny that statement? — J.B.D. ANSWER: There remains controversy about the relative benefits of the immunity gained from a vaccine versus the immunity gained by surviving a case of COVID-19. What is clear, however, is that not everybody who survives a case of COVID-19 has ...

Omicron variant may have reached Europe before being found in South Africa

BRUSSELS — Economic powerhouses Japan and France reported their first cases of the omicron variant Tuesday, while new findings indicate the mutant coronavirus was already in Europe close to a week before South Africa sounded the alarm. The Netherlands’ RIVM health institute disclosed ...

US tracking of virus variants has improved after slow start

After a slow start, the United States has improved its surveillance system for tracking new coronavirus variants such as omicron, boosting its capacity by tens of thousands of samples per week since early this year. Viruses mutate constantly. To find and track new versions of the coronavirus, scientists analyze the genetic makeup of a portion of samples that test positive. They’re looking at the chemical letters of the virus’s genetic code to find new worrisome mutants, such as omicron, and to follow the spread of known variants, such as delta. It’s a global effort, but until ...

FDA panel backs first-of-a-kind COVID-19 pill from Merck

WASHINGTON (AP) — A panel of U.S. health advisers on Tuesday narrowly backed a closely watched COVID-19 pill from Merck, setting the stage for a likely authorization of the first drug that Americans could take at home to treat the coronavirus. A Food and Drug Administration panel voted 13-10 that the drug’s benefits outweigh its risks, including potential birth defects if used during pregnancy. The recommendation came after hours of debate about the drug’s modest benefits and potential safety issues. Experts backing the treatment stressed that it should not be used by anyone ...

Free COVID testing returns to Clinton County

LOCK HAVEN — Free COVID-19 testing is coming back to Clinton County. During Monday’s Clinton County commissioners’ work session, commissioner Angela Harding announced that a COVID-19 testing center would be back in the county, starting today. The free walk-up testing site will set up shop at the Lock Haven University’s East Campus gymnasium, located at 340 W. Main St. in Lock Haven. The location is the site of the former Lock Haven High School gymnasium. “It is open to the public and they are testing anyone in Clinton County ages three and older,” Harding announced. ...