White House: 1st shots for kids under 5 possible by June 21
WASHINGTON — The Biden administration said Thursday that children under 5 may be able to get their first covid-19 vaccination doses as soon as June 21, if federal regulators authorize shots for the age group, as expected. White House covid-19 coordinator Ashish Jha outlined the administration’s planning for the last...
Africans see inequity in monkeypox response elsewhere
OSUN, Nigeria — As health authorities in Europe and elsewhere roll out vaccines and drugs to stamp out the biggest monkeypox outbreak beyond Africa, some doctors acknowledge an ugly reality: The resources to slow the disease’s spread have long been available, just not to the Africans who have dealt with...
Excela, Butler health systems announce merger, creating region’s 3rd hospital giant
A third Southwestern Pennsylvania health care conglomerate is in the works, as Excela Health and Butler Health System on Wednesday announced an intent to merge. “We believe strongly that our new partnership will extend our intellectual and financial capital,” John Sphon, Excela Health chief executive officer, said in a prepared...
Highmark reports $150M net loss in 1st quarter, citing market volatility, inflation
Highmark Health reported a net loss of $150 million in the first quarter of 2022, driven by losses from the company’s stock market portfolio and increased costs at the company’s large hospital system, Allegheny Health Network. Financial reports released by Highmark showed the company brought in $6.4 billion in revenue...
WHO: Monkeypox won’t turn into pandemic, but many unknowns
LONDON — The World Health Organization’s top monkeypox expert said she doesn’t expect the hundreds of cases reported to date to turn into another pandemic, but acknowledged there are still many unknowns about the disease, including how exactly it’s spreading and whether the suspension of mass smallpox immunization decades ago...
Increased covid-19, labor costs eat into UPMC’s 1st-quarter income
UPMC reported a sharp decline in operating and investment income during the year’s first quarter, with the health care giant pointing to continued financial challenges from covid-19 and increased labor costs, according to an earnings report released Thursday. The report showed that UPMC had nearly $6.1 billion in total operating...
Here’s why scientists aren’t ‘crazy scared’ about monkeypox
The monkeypox outbreak has captured the attention of an anxious public that’s struggling to emerge from the covid-19 pandemic and is on high alert for the next virus that might upend our lives. Fortunately, professionals are a lot calmer about monkeypox than the armchair pundits. “In the last couple of...
Spiritual health: Pittsburgh’s UPMC Mercy celebrates a milestone of patient care
The metal cross is affixed above the hospital president’s door, and it’s not just a decoration. The crucifix symbolizes the religious well-being of patients. In addition to them being cared for by medical doctors and nurses at UPMC Mercy, they receive a level of care not measured in a prescription...
Long covid affects more older adults; shots don’t prevent it
New U.S. research on long covid-19 provides fresh evidence that it can happen even after breakthrough infections in vaccinated people, and that older adults face higher risks for the long-term effects. In a study of veterans published Wednesday, about one-third who had breakthrough infections showed signs of long covid. A...
U.S. births rose last year but still less than before pandemic
NEW YORK — U.S. births bumped up last year, but the number of babies born was still lower than before the coronavirus pandemic. The 1% increase was a bit of a rebound from 2020, the first year of the pandemic, which witnessed the largest one-year drop in the U.S. births...
Expert: Monkeypox likely spread by sex at 2 raves in EuropeVideo
LONDON — A leading adviser to the World Health Organization described the unprecedented outbreak of monkeypox in developed countries as “a random event” that might be explained by sexual behavior at two recent raves in Europe. Dr. David Heymann, who formerly headed WHO’s emergencies department, told The Associated Press that...
Covid-19, shootings: Is mass death now tolerated in America?
PROVIDENCE, R.I. — After mass shootings killed and wounded people grocery shopping, going to church and simply living their lives last weekend, the nation marked a milestone of 1 million deaths from covid-19. The number, once unthinkable, is now an irreversible reality in the United States — just like the...
CDC urges Pfizer booster for children ages 5 to 11
Kids ages 5 to 11 should get a booster dose of Pfizer’s covid-19 vaccine, advisers to the U.S. government said Thursday. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention quickly adopted the panel’s recommendation, opening a third covid-19 shot to healthy elementary-age kids — just like what is already recommended for...
Mysterious hepatitis cases in kids keep climbing as scientists search for a cause
MIAMI — No unusual cases of severe hepatitis among children have been confirmed in Florida despite a global rise in cases and an ongoing investigation into what’s causing the outbreak, which has affected more than 500 kids worldwide, including more than 150 in the United States. Doctors and public health...
U.S. case of monkeypox reported in Massachusetts man
NEW YORK — Massachusetts on Wednesday reported a rare case of monkeypox in a man who recently traveled to Canada, and health officials are looking into whether it is connected to small outbreaks in Europe. Monkeypox is typically limited to Africa, and rare cases in the United States and elsewhere...
Officials say more areas of U.S. may see mask recommendations
WASHINGTON — Covid-19 cases are increasing in the United States – and could get even worse over the coming months, federal health officials warned Wednesday in urging areas hardest hit to consider reissuing calls for indoor masking. Increasing numbers of covid-19 infections and hospitalizations are putting more of the country...
Moms seeking formula tire of those who say, just breastfeed
As Morgan Fabry drives around Chicago looking for baby formula that is in short supply, she can’t help but be bothered by comments from people who don’t understand why she can’t breastfeed. Exclusive breastfeeding is recommended for the first six months of life by major medical entities like the World...
Traveling this summer? CDC recommends testing for covid-19 in days before flying
If you are traveling internationally or within the United States this summer, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends you test for covid-19 in the days before flying. The agency’s recommendation for all travelers regardless of vaccination status came in an update to its covid-19 testing website on May...
1 in 9 covid hospital patients die or get readmitted within 30 days, study finds
One in 9 hospitalized covid-19 patients die or get readmitted to the hospital within 30 days of being sent home, a new study has found. Deaths were observed more often in men, older individuals, those with comorbidities and people who had a history of prior hospital stays, according to the...
Mothers searching for formula finding store shelves are bare
The Enfamil formula Katie Feola feeds her 10-month-old daughter, Grace, has been getting scarce over the last few weeks. The Delmont woman noticed four months ago that there seemed to be less available. The family would sometimes go weeks without seeing any at a store. “Now it’s like months that...
Parents swap, sell baby formula amid nationwide shortage
WASHINGTON — A baby formula shortage in the United States is driving parents to swap, sell and offer leftover supplies to each other, while President Joe Biden plans to speak with manufacturers and retailers Thursday about the plight facing families. The problem is the result of supply chain disruptions and...
The tiniest babies: Shifting the boundary of life earlier
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Michelle Butler was just over halfway through her pregnancy when her water broke and contractions wracked her body. She couldn’t escape a terrifying truth: Her twins were coming much too soon. Dr. Brian Sims entered the delivery room and gently explained that babies born so early likely...
U.S. overdose deaths hit record 107,000 last year, CDC says
NEW YORK — More than 107,000 Americans died of drug overdoses last year, setting another tragic record in the nation’s escalating overdose epidemic, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated Wednesday. The provisional 2021 total translates to roughly one U.S. overdose death every 5 minutes. It marked a 15%...
Pandemic gets tougher to track as covid testing plunges
Testing for covid-19 has plummeted across the globe, making it much tougher for scientists to track the course of the pandemic and spot new, worrisome viral mutants as they emerge and spread. Experts say testing has dropped by 70 to 90% worldwide from the first to the second quarter of...
Judge to decide how much pharmacies owe over opioid crisis
CLEVELAND — How much money should CVS, Walgreens and Walmart pharmacies pay two Ohio counties in damages to help them ease the effects of the opioid crisis? That’s the question in front of a federal judge in Cleveland, who will begin hearing testimony on Tuesday after a jury found the...
