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COVID-19

COVID-19 numbers continue to tick upward

The numbers continue to rise throughout the state of Pennsylvania. On Sunday, the Pennsylvania Department of Health reported 4,125 new cases of COVID-19. That number was down by more than 1,000 from Saturday. However, for the fifth consecutive day, the case count was more than 4,000. Clinton County reported a dozen new cases on Sunday. Its total now stands at 4,021. Centre County increased by 74 cases of the deadly virus. Its total now stands at 18,390. In Lycoming County, the case count rose by 55 on Sunday. Its total now stands at 13,186. Throughout the Commonwealth, there are ...

CDC finds unvaccinated 11x more likely to die of COVID

New U.S. studies released Friday show the COVID-19 vaccines remain highly effective against hospitalizations and death even as the extra-contagious delta variant swept the country. One study tracked over 600,000 COVID-19 cases in 13 states from April through mid-July. As delta surged in ...

Northern Idaho’s anti-government streak hampers COVID fight

COEUR D’ALENE, Idaho (AP) — Northern Idaho has a long and deep streak of anti-government activism that has confounded attempts to battle a COVID-19 outbreak overwhelming hospitals in the deeply conservative region. A deadly 1992 standoff with federal agents near the Canadian border helped spark an expansion of radical right-wing groups across the country and the area was for a long time the home of the Aryan Nations, whose leader envisioned a “White Homeland” in the county that is now among the worst hit by the coronavirus pandemic. Hospitals in northern Idaho are so packed ...

UK ditches plans for vaccine passports at crowded venues

LONDON (AP) — Authorities in Britain have decided not to require vaccine passports for entry into nightclubs and other crowded events in England, Britain’s health secretary said Sunday, reversing course amid opposition from some of the Conservative government’s supporters in Parliament. Health Minister Sajid Javid said the government has shelved the idea of vaccine passports for now but could reconsider the decision if COVID-19 cases rise exponentially once again. “We’ve looked at it properly and whilst we should keep it in reserve as a potential option, I’m pleased to ...

A tale of two clinics: lines in Kenya, few takers in Atlanta

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Several hundred people line up every morning, starting before dawn, on a grassy area outside Nairobi’s largest hospital hoping to get the COVID-19 vaccine. Sometimes the line moves smoothly, while on other days, the staff tells them there’s nothing available, and they should come back tomorrow. Halfway around the world, at a church in Atlanta, two workers with plenty of vaccine doses waited hours Wednesday for anyone to show up, whiling away the time by listening to music from a laptop. Over a six-hour period, only one person came through the door. The ...

Pennsylvania targeting doctors over blanket mask exemptions

Some Pennsylvania physicians are offering stock doctor's notes for use by parents wishing to have their children exempted from wearing masks in school, according to state health officials who say they have referred the matter for possible disciplinary action. A statewide, universal mask mandate for Pennsylvania schools went into effect Tuesday as the Wolf administration seeks to keep school buildings open for in-person learning amid the latest surge in COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths. The acting health secretary's face covering order contains an exemption for students for ...