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COVID-19

Centre County gears up for ‘return to office’

BELLEFONTE — As the month of June heads into the homestretch, Centre County Government employees are gearing up to return to their offices. During Tuesday’s Centre County commissioners’ meeting, county administrator Margaret Gray reminded those on the Zoom call that a full “return to office” will take place on Monday, June 28. In-person meetings — such as the weekly board of commissioners — will commence on Tuesday, July 6. “Just a reminder that this Friday, June 25, will end our employees’ work status of rotation in and out of our offices with a full return to ...

Biden pushes shots for young adults as variant concern grows

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. government is stepping up efforts to get younger Americans vaccinated for COVID-19 as concerns grow about the spread of a new variant that threatens to set the country back in the months ahead. The push is underway as the delta variant, first identified in India, ...

Fed’s Powell says high inflation temporary, will ‘wane’

WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell on Tuesday responded to concerns from Republican lawmakers about spiking inflation by reiterating his view that current price increases will likely prove temporary. Consumer prices jumped 5% in May compared with a year earlier, the ...

US hitting milestones on virus deaths and shots

COVID-19 deaths in the U.S. have dipped below 300 a day for the first time since the early days of the disaster in March 2020, while the drive to put shots in arms approached another encouraging milestone Monday: 150 million Americans fully vaccinated. The coronavirus was the third leading cause of death in the U.S. in 2020, behind heart disease and cancer, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But now, as the outbreak loosens its grip, it has fallen down the list of the biggest killers. CDC data suggests that more Americans are dying every day from accidents, ...

On a mission to heal after exposing her dad to deadly virus

SHARON, Mass. (AP) — For a year, Michelle Pepe awoke every day, recited the Kaddish, the mourner’s prayer, and kissed a photo of her father. And coped with her guilt. “’Dad,” she says, “I’m so sorry that this happened.” “This” was COVID-19. In March 2020, just as the ...

Vaccine hesitancy puts India’s gains against virus at risk

JAMSOTI, India — In Jamsoti, a village tucked deep inside India’s most populous state of Uttar Pradesh, the common refrain among the villagers is that the coronavirus spreads only in cities. The deadly infection, they believe, does not exist in villages. So when a team of health workers ...