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COVID-19

Prison reinstates masking protocols

HOLLIDAYSBURG — The Blair County Prison is continuing to host COVID-19 vaccination clinics for inmates and county employees after reinstating a requirement for staff and visitors to wear face masks in light of rising local caseloads. Seventeen inmates — all with state sentences and awaiting transfer to a state facility — signed up for the most recent clinic at the county prison. One of the attractions might be a belief among inmates that once they’re transferred to a state facility, there’s more privileges for the vaccinated inmates, Deputy Warden James Eckard told the ...

Colleges tweak vaccine rules

Area college campuses are gearing up for fall classes while continuing to update vaccination and masking guidelines as COVID-19 cases rise in Blair and surrounding counties and across the nation. Juniata College students have until Sept. 3 to be vaccinated against COVID-19 or face a $300 COVID-19 mitigation fee, the Huntingdon college announced on its website. In addition, those who are not vaccinated are expected to wear masks and maintain a social distance from others, the college said. The college plans to return to pre-COVID-19 conditions when the fall semester begins Thursday, ...

Do J&J vaccine recipients need a booster?

Do I need a booster if I got the Johnson & Johnson vaccine? Probably at some point, but health officials still are collecting the data needed to decide. With boosters being planned in the U.S. as early as the fall for those who got the two-shot Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, recipients of the single-dose J&J jab might be wondering just how well their protection is holding up. All the vaccines used in the U.S. — including the J&J vaccine — still are doing their job of preventing hospitalizations and deaths from COVID-19. “I don’t think there’s any signal that the J&J ...

COVID aid offered to dairy farmers

BURLINGTON, Vt. — Help is on the way for dairy farmers who got a lower price for their products because of pandemic-related market abnormalities, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said Thursday. The department will provide about $350 million in assistance payments to eligible farmers, it said. The effort is “to try and compensate a bit those farmers who suffered the loss of value because of the distortion of market during the pandemic,” U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said at a press conference in Vermont. The majority of the resources will go to smaller farms, he ...

HASD approves optional mask plan

HOLLIDAYSBURG — The Hollidaysburg Area School Board approved the district’s final health and safety plan Wednesday. Masks will be optional for all staff and students if case numbers remain within the low, moderate or substantial transmission ranges. Should cases reach the high transmission range, masks could be mandated by the district if the board approves. During the public comment period, parents and community members expressed their views on mask wearing and the district’s role in choosing whether to require it. Michael Eardley of Duncansville voiced his frustration with ...

Nursing home staff must get vaccinated

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden on Wednesday announced that his administration will require that nursing home staff be vaccinated against COVID-19 as a condition for those facilities to continue receiving federal Medicare and Medicaid funding. Biden unveiled the new policy Wednesday afternoon in a White House address as the administration continues to look for ways to use mandates to encourage vaccine holdouts to get shots. “If you visit, live or work in a nursing home, you should not be at a high risk for contracting COVID from unvaccinated employees,” Biden said. The ...