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COVID-19

Remote learning still widespread even after Biden hits goal

President Joe Biden has met his goal of having most elementary and middle schools open for full, in-person learning in his first 100 days in office, according to new survey data, but the share of students choosing to return has continued to lag far behind. The survey, conducted in March by the Education Department and released Thursday, found that 54% of public schools below high school were offering full-time classroom learning to any student who wanted it. It marks steady progress since January, when the figure was 46%. But most students were still learning at least partly away ...

Why patents on COVID vaccines are so contentious

The Biden administration’s call to lift patent protections on COVID-19 vaccines to help poor parts of the world get more doses has drawn praise from some countries and health advocates. But it has run into resistance from the pharmaceutical industry and others, who say it won’t help curb the outbreak any time soon and will hurt innovation. Here’s a look at what patents do and why they matter: HOW DO DRUG PATENTS WORK? Patents reward innovation by preventing competitors from simply copying a company’s discovery and launching a rival product. In the U.S., patents on medicines ...

Gov. Wolf visits Penn State to encourage vaccinations

UNIVERSITY PARK — Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf visited Penn State University on Wednesday to discuss COVID-19 vaccine efforts and encourage students to get vaccinated before summer break. “Pennsylvania’s vaccine rollout is moving at a fast pace now that supply has increased and all ...

PA to lift COVID-19 restrictions on Memorial Day

Pennsylvania will lift all COVID-19 restrictions — except an order to wear a mask while in public — on Memorial Day, the Wolf administration announced Tuesday, promising to restore the state to some semblance of normalcy more than a year into pandemic. Capacity restrictions on bars, ...

Walmart and Sam’s Club now administering walk-up COVID-19 vaccines at 150 pharmacies across Pennsylvania

BENTONVILLE, Ark. — Walmart and Sam’s Club today announced a new COVID-19 vaccine milestone: Immunizations are now available to customers and associates in all of their more than 5,100 pharmacy locations nationwide, across 49 states, Puerto Rico and Washington, D.C. This includes the 150 Walmart and Sam’s Club pharmacies in Pennsylvania. Vaccines are being administered via both walk-up and scheduled appointments, providing convenient options for customers and members to get protected against COVID-19 where they already shop for groceries and health care essentials. Additionally, ...

The best COVID vaccine is the one you can get quickly

DEAR DR. ROACH: Could you please explain the science behind the new Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine? I hear it differs from the Pfizer/Moderna vaccines as it does not contain the mRNA and is only a single dose. I also heard it compared to the flu vaccine. I am a regular flu vaccine recipient and if this is true, that may be the vaccine I am leaning toward. — D.J. ANSWER: All the available vaccines are very effective at preventing serious illness from COVID-19. The “best” vaccine for virtually everyone is the one they can get the fastest. As vaccines have become more and more ...