As covid-19 vaccination mandates gain momentum, Pa. health care workers remain largely free to decide
Only one major Pennsylvania health care employer, Philadelphia-based Penn Medicine, has required employees to get vaccinated against covid-19. But mandates are under consideration at others. “We haven’t gotten to the mandate yet. We think about it and we assess where we’re at, but we haven’t made that decision yet,” said...
Westmoreland County free of West Nile virus as 2021 season nears end; Allegheny spraying set
No cases of West Nile virus have been found so far this year in Westmoreland County, which means officials haven’t had to apply spray to combat the mosquitoes that can transmit the disease. The Westmoreland Conservation District, which traps mosquitoes to be tested for signs of the disease, reports that...
Canine comfort: Therapy dogs at UPMC cancer center bring soothing and smilesVideo
She’s big, furry and makes people smile. The 115-pound canine walks through the halls of UPMC Hillman Cancer Center in Shadyside every Thursday. As the animal strolls with owner Amy Bischoff, the pair certainly draw attention. They’re stopped within the first few steps. Questions are asked. What is the dog’s...
How many people in Pa. use cannabis for addiction? The Wolf admin won’t say
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 — In 2018, the Wolf administration endorsed cannabis as a treatment for opioid use disorder, despite an absence of research...
Do I need a booster if I got the Johnson & Johnson vaccine?
All the talk about covid-19 booster shots have centered on those who received the two-shot Pfizer or Moderna vaccines. But what about those who got the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine? The short answer is: Probably at some point, but health officials still are collecting the data needed to decide....
Record delta wave hits kids, raises fear as nation’s schools open
The day before he was supposed to start fourth grade, Francisco Rosales was admitted to a Dallas hospital with covid-19, struggling to breathe, with dangerously low oxygen levels and an uncertain outcome. It wasn’t supposed to be like this, thought his frightened mother, Yessica Gonzalez. Francisco was normally healthy and...
U.S. health officials call for booster shots against covid-19Video
NEW YORK — U.S. health officials Wednesday announced plans to dispense covid-19 booster shots to all Americans to shore up their protection amid the surging delta variant and signs that the vaccines’ effectiveness is slipping. The plan, as outlined by the chief of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention...
‘Tainted’ blood: Covid skeptics request blood transfusions from unvaccinated donors
The nation’s roiling tensions over vaccination against covid-19 have spilled into an unexpected arena: lifesaving blood transfusions. With nearly 60% of the eligible U.S. population fully vaccinated, most of the nation’s blood supply is now coming from donors who have been inoculated, experts said. That’s led some patients who are...
Sources: U.S. to recommend covid vaccine boosters at 8 months
WASHINGTON — U.S. health experts are expected to recommend covid-19 vaccine boosters for all Americans, regardless of age, eight months after they received their second dose of the shot, to ensure lasting protection against the coronavirus as the delta variant spreads across the country. Federal health officials have been actively...
U.S. Senate bill calls for beefing up federal regulations on nursing homes
Nearly 18 months after covid-19 began to cut a broad swath through the nation’s nursing homes — killing 184,000 elderly and disabled residents and care workers — the U.S. Senate is weighing a bill to update federal policies and oversight of such facilities. The bill, dubbed the Nursing Home Improvement...
Social media campaign encourages people to invite ‘Just One’ to register as organ donor
The Center for Organ Recovery and Education (CORE) is encouraging people to invite just one person to register to become an organ donor. Through the Just One campaign, CORE, an organ procurement organization, is taking to social media to spread the word about organ donation. Each day, CORE asks people...
Biden made ‘Obamacare’ cheaper, now sign-up deadline is here
With the Obama health care law undergoing a revival under President Joe Biden, this Sunday is the deadline for consumers to take advantage of a special sign-up period for private coverage made more affordable by his covid-19 relief law. A strong close would bolster Biden’s case that Congress needs to...
Extra covid vaccine OK’d for those with weak immune systems
WASHINGTON — U.S. regulators on Thursday said transplant recipients and others with weakened immune systems can get an extra dose of the covid-19 vaccine to better protect them as the delta variant continues to surge. The announcement by the Food and Drug Administration applies to millions of Americans who are...
Out-of-state covid hot spots ‘desperate’ to transfer patients to Western Pa. hospitals
Overburdened health care systems from Texas to Florida are pleading with Western Pennsylvania hospitals to take on transfer patients at record-high rates as beds and ventilators reach capacity in covid-19 hot spots across the country. “They’re running out of space, and they’re looking for help in trying to deal with...
A heartfelt message: Joe Beretta Foundation hosting fundraising cruise
The family of Joe Beretta family knows all too well how difficult it is to have a loved one suffering from heart failure. When the heart weakens, it often causes a build-up of fluid in the patient’s lungs. That causes trouble breathing and weakness, which often requires multiple hospital stays....
FDA set to clear 3rd covid-19 shot for immunocompromised patientsVideo
WASHINGTON — U.S. drug regulators are set to clear a third dose of covid-19 vaccines for people with weak immune systems as a new study showed the benefits of an extra shot in transplant patients. A third dose of Moderna Inc.’s vaccine significantly raised antibody levels against the coronavirus in...
CDC urges covid vaccines during pregnancy as delta surges
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention urged all pregnant women Wednesday to get the covid-19 vaccine as hospitals in hot spots around the U.S. see disturbing numbers of unvaccinated mothers-to-be seriously ill with the virus. Expectant women run a higher risk of severe illness and pregnancy complications from the...
Pa. patients swear by cannabis as tool to fight opioid addiction. The research still isn’t there.
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. BERNVILLE — The back pain started when Luke Shultz was a teenager, and it got worse. When he was in his...
Yes, that was a 21-foot tall soap bottle at Giant Eagle Market District in RobinsonVideo
Kim Machi deals with nearly half a million products as health, beauty and wellness manager for Giant Eagle Market District in Settlers Ridge in Robinson. But she hadn’t seen anything like the 21-foot-tall, 2,500-pound bottle of soap at the store Wednesday. It was made by Soapbox, a company that donates...
Q&A: Outdoor transmission of delta is still unclear. Here’s what experts think about covid-19 risk
As the delta variant pushes covid-19 case counts upward again, people are being more careful about wearing masks and distancing indoors. But what about the outdoors, which has been a refuge from the pandemic isolation because of reduced transmission risk? Last weekend, photos of maskless revelers at Lollapalooza, an outdoor...
Community Health Clinic’s new medical van delivers health care to Westmoreland County residents
Community Health Clinic’s new medical van is bringing health care to people in Westmoreland County, offering covid-19 vaccinations and tests along with primary care. Headquartered in New Kensington with additional locations in Vandergrift and Greensburg, the Community Health Clinic provides low-cost health care, offering a sliding payment scale for residents...
Magee-Womens, Pitt join study of pregnant and new moms’ responses to covid vaccines
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists announced Friday that it “recommends that all eligible persons, including pregnant and lactating individuals, receive a covid-19 vaccine or vaccine series. “ Obstetrician-gynecologists and other women’s health care practitioners should lead by example by being vaccinated and encouraging eligible patients to be vaccinated...
Health officials to release new covid-19 data
NEW YORK — U.S. health officials are expected to release new data about the spread of covid-19 on Friday that led to their decision to recommend that vaccinated people wear masks in some situations, a reversal of previous guidance. The report, to be released by the Centers for Disease Control...
FDA allows automatic ‘generic’ swap for brand-name insulin
U.S. regulators took action Wednesday that will make it easier to get a cheaper, near-copy of a brand-name insulin at the drugstore. Doctors now have to specifically prescribe what’s called a biosimilar or OK substituting it for a more expensive brand-name insulin. Wednesday’s move by the Food and Drug Administration...
UPMC President Jeffrey Romoff to retire
Jeffrey Romoff, the architect of UPMC’s vast empire of hospitals in Western Pennsylvania and beyond, is set to retire Aug. 1, officials announced Wednesday. Romoff will be succeeded by Leslie C. Davis, who most recently served as executive vice president of UPMC and president of the health services division, where...
