J&J seeks U.S. clearance for covid-19 vaccine booster doses
WASHINGTON — Johnson & Johnson asked the Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday to allow extra shots of its covid-19 vaccine as the U.S. government moves toward expanding its booster campaign to millions more vaccinated Americans. J&J said it filed a request with the FDA to authorize boosters for people...
Clues about how society emerges from covid-19 can be gleaned by looking back on 1918 Spanish flu, experts say
Karen Baldridge rolled up her sleeve to get her covid-19 booster vaccine. “I’m trying to baby myself and (am) doing everything that I can to keep healthy,” she said this past week while at Excela Square at Norwin. “I feel there’s about a 90% chance I wouldn’t get (covid), but...
Pharmacies face 1st trial over role in opioid crisis
CLEVELAND — So many prescription painkillers were dispensed in Lake County, Ohio, between 2012 and 2016 that the amount equaled 265 pills for every resident. Just to the south, the flood of prescription opioids during the same period equated to 400 pills for every resident of Trumbull County. Attorneys say...
Lower premiums, more perks for seniors shopping 2022 Medicare Advantage plans
Still-growing demand among Western Pennsylvania seniors for Medicare Advantage plans has spurred a slew of new health coverage options featuring lower costs and better perks as insurers compete to grow their market shares. “This is a ripe market in Western Pa., and we’re able to take those dollars and invest...
Local doctors cautiously optimistic about potential pill to treat covid-19
Local doctors said a pill to treat covid-19 could help keep patients healthy and ease the burden on overstrained hospitals, though they’re eyeing the drug with cautious optimism while awaiting final data. Merck & Co. on Friday announced its experimental pill cut hospitalizations and deaths in half for people recently...
‘He was larger than life’: Friends, family pay tribute to Dr. Freddie Fu in Pittsburgh
Family, friends and colleagues gathered on Friday at Heinz Memorial Chapel in Oakland to memorialize renowned orthopedist and sports medicine pioneer Dr. Freddie Fu. His daughter, Joyce Lok-See Fu, called the days leading up to her father’s Sept. 24 death surreal as she watched so many people share their stories...
U.S. hits 700,000 covid deaths just as cases begin to fall
MINNEAPOLIS — The United States reached its latest heartbreaking pandemic milestone Friday, eclipsing 700,000 deaths from covid-19 just as the surge from the delta variant is starting to slow down. It took 3 ½ months for the U.S. to go from 600,000 to 700,000 deaths, driven by the variant’s rampant...
Merck says experimental pill cuts covid hospitalizations, deaths by half
WASHINGTON — Drugmaker Merck said Friday that its experimental covid-19 pill reduced hospitalizations and deaths by half in people recently infected with the coronavirus and that it would soon ask health officials in the U.S. and around the world to authorize its use. If cleared, the drug would be the...
Fewer Americans than ever remain opposed to getting a covid-19 vaccine, new poll finds
The number of Americans opposed to getting a covid-19 vaccine reached a new low this month, a poll found. The Gallup poll, conducted Sept. 13-19, found fewer respondents than ever said they don’t plan to get a coronavirus vaccine while more than ever said they are already vaccinated or plan...
It’s flu vaccine time, even if you’ve had your covid shots
Amid all the focus on covid-19 vaccinations, U.S. health experts have another plea: Don’t skip your flu shot. Flu cases have dropped to historically low levels during the pandemic. The U.S. and Europe experienced hardly any flu last winter, and the Southern Hemisphere just ended its second flu season of...
New records reveal the cost of Pa.’s failure to clarify rules around addiction treatment and marijuana
Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan newsroom powered by The Philadelphia Inquirer in partnership with PennLive/The Patriot-News, TribLIVE/Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, and WITF Public Media. Sign up for our free newsletters. HARRISBURG — The failure by Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration to clarify federal rules around addiction treatment funding and medical marijuana caused...
Pfizer vaccine for children may not be available until November
WASHINGTON — Pfizer has submitted research to the Food and Drug Administration on the effectiveness of its covid-19 vaccine in children but the shots may not be available until November. The company said Tuesday it provided health regulators with data from a recent study of its vaccine in children 5...
CDC director warns of ‘dire straits’ in covid-hit areas of U.S.Video
WASHINGTON — Parts of the U.S. health system “are in dire straits,” as the spread of the covid-19 delta variant forces some states to prepare for rationed medical care, said Rochelle Walensky, head of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “That means that we are talking about who...
Pa. lawmakers know a dementia care crisis is coming. Will they agree on a response?
Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan newsroom powered by The Philadelphia Inquirer in partnership with PennLive/The Patriot-News, TribLIVE/Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, and WITF Public Media. Sign up for our free newsletters. HARRISBURG — Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf this week said he supports large investments to address a growing dementia care crisis in...
CDC director expands group eligible for covid-19 booster shot
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday endorsed booster shots for millions of older or otherwise vulnerable Americans, opening a major new phase in the U.S vaccination drive against covid-19. CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky signed off on a series of recommendations from a panel of advisers late...
Boppy, ‘devastated’ by infant deaths, recalls 3 million popular lounge pillows
The Boppy Company and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission announced a recall of 3.3 million loungers that have been attributed in the deaths of eight infants who “reportedly suffocated.” Recalled are the Boppy Original Newborn Loungers, Boppy Preferred Newborn Loungers and Pottery Barn Kids Boppy Newborn Loungers. According to...
Baldwin man goes from wheelchair to running in the Great Race
A wheelchair sits folded near the front door. It’s a constant reminder. “There was a time I relied on that because I was too heavy and it was hard to walk,” said Bruce Altemus, 69. “I was too big and too sick to do much of anything. I never want...
FDA backs Pfizer covid-19 boosters for seniors, high-risk
The United States moved a step closer Wednesday to offering booster doses of Pfizer’s covid-19 vaccine to senior citizens and others at high risk from the virus as the Food and Drug Administration signed off on the targeted use of extra shots. The FDA authorized booster doses for Americans who...
Pfizer says covid-19 vaccine works in kids ages 5 to 11
Pfizer said Monday its covid-19 vaccine works for children ages 5 to 11 and that it will seek U.S. authorization for this age group soon — a key step toward beginning vaccinations for youngsters. The vaccine made by Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech already is available for anyone 12...
Foreign exchange: German student donates part of his liver to former host father in Regent Square
Eric Baysinger messaged a photo of himself hooked to an oxygen machine, plastic tubing in his nose, to help him breathe. “This is my current situation,” Baysinger said. The recipient of the picture, Moritz Jahr, was 4,026 miles away. The minute he saw the image he asked what was wrong....
Pennsylvania’s looming dementia care crisis, by the numbers
Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan newsroom powered by The Philadelphia Inquirer in partnership with PennLive/The Patriot-News, TribLIVE/Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, and WITF Public Media. Sign up for our free newsletters. Pennsylvania is headed for a profound eldercare crisis, experts warn, as Alzheimer’s disease and dementia rates continue to climb, the state’s...
FDA advisory panel rejects widespread Pfizer booster shots
WASHINGTON — An influential federal advisory panel overwhelmingly rejected a plan Friday to offer Pfizer booster shots against covid-19 to most Americans, dealing a heavy blow to the Biden administration’s effort to shore up people’s protection amid the highly contagious delta variant. The vote by the committee of outside experts...
Outdoor medical tent up at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh
UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh has expanded its emergency department care capacity by setting up an outside medical tent. Officials said the Lawrenceville hospital plans to begin utilizing the space along 44th Street by Friday afternoon. “UPMC Children’s has set up a medical tent to expand care capability for those...
‘This is the worst I’ve seen’: Longer waits reported at Western Pa. hospitals
Wait times at Western Pennsylvania’s emergency rooms are getting longer, following a national trend spurred by covid-19, staffing shortages and an overall increase in demand for health care. “Wait times — they always vary by time of day, even hour by hour — but this is the worst I’ve seen...
Study: Childhood obesity in U.S. accelerated during pandemic
NEW YORK — A new study ties the covid-19 pandemic to an “alarming” increase in obesity in U.S. children and teenagers. Childhood obesity has been increasing for decades, but the new work suggests an acceleration last year — especially in those who already were obese when the pandemic started. The...
