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COVID-19

Eight big cats at St. Louis Zoo test positive for COVID

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Two African lions and six other big cats at the St. Louis Zoo have tested positive for COVID-19. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that zoo officials said Thursday that the animals are expected to make a full recovery. Besides the lions, two snow leopards, two jaguars, an Amur tiger and a puma have been infected. Most of the infected cats showed no signs of illness, zoo officials said, but a few had a decreased appetite and were less active for short periods of time. Some also developed respiratory symptoms, zoo officials said. Officials suspect the animals ...

GOP proposals on COVID mandates worry Kansas business groups

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Influential Kansas business groups have strong misgivings about Republican proposals aimed at financially protecting workers refusing COVID-19 inoculations while vocal anti-mandate activists don’t think the measures go far enough. A joint legislative committee had hearings Friday on a proposal to make it easier for workers to claim religious exemptions to COVID-19 vaccine mandates and another to provide unemployment benefits to workers who are fired for refusing to get vaccinated. Both are a response to vaccine mandates from President Joe Biden applying to more ...

COVID-19 numbers continue to climb

Over the weekend, the COVID-19 numbers continued to shoot upward in Clinton and its surrounding counties. On Sunday, Clinton County reported 36 new cases of the virus, while Centre County added 37 cases. Lycoming County, meanwhile, added the most cases — 49. On Saturday, Clinton County reported 46 new cases, while Centre County added 33 and Lycoming had a whopping 66 cases. On Friday, Clinton County added 60 cases of the deadly virus. Over the past three days, Clinton County has added 142 cases of COVID-19, the most since spring of 2021. Since the pandemic began, the total numbers ...

Schools take lead role in promoting vaccines for youngsters

With the approval of the COVID-19 vaccine for younger children, many elementary schools around the U.S. are preparing to offer the shots, which educators see as key to keeping students learning in person and making the classroom experience closer to what it once was. Some district leaders ...

Proof of vax required as strict mandate takes effect in LA

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Yoga studio owner David Gross felt relieved after Los Angeles passed a vaccine mandate that is among the strictest in the country, a measure taking effect Monday that requires proof of shots for everyone entering a wide variety of businesses from restaurants to shopping malls and theaters to nail and hair salons. For Gross, the relief came from knowing he and his co-owner don’t have to unilaterally decide whether to verify their customers are vaccinated. In another part of town, the manager of a struggling nail salon feels trepidation and expects to lose ...

Biden vaccine mandates face first test with federal workers

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is pushing forward with a massive plan to require millions of private sector employees to get vaccinated by early next year. But first, he has to make sure workers in his own federal government get the shot. About 4 million federal workers are to be vaccinated by Nov. 22 under the president's executive order. Some employees, like those at the White House, are nearly all vaccinated. But the rates are lower at other federal agencies, particularly those related to law enforcement and intelligence, according to the agencies and union leaders. And ...