Breaking News

COVID-19

Tyrone considers graduation sites

TYRONE — With the end of the school year approaching, the Tyrone Area School District board members and administrators are considering two venues for this year’s commencement ceremonies. Graduation is set for Thursday, June 3, and board members said Tuesday that Gray Field and the high school campus parking lot are being considered as possible sites. “With the situation we’re in, we’re obviously looking at an outdoor venue,” Dean of Students Lucas Rhoades said. “We’re looking at what each site gives us to see which one is the best.” Last year, the district used the ...

Biden: J&J shot pause putting safety first

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden’s COVID-19 vaccination campaign hit a snag Tuesday when federal regulators recommended a “pause” in administering Johnson & Johnson shots. But the White House portrayed the action as important validation of his measured approach throughout the rollout. Biden declared that even with a temporary loss of J&J ‘s one-shot vaccine, there is a huge supply of Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, enough that “is basically 100% unquestionable, for every single solitary American.” Perhaps more concerning than any worry about supply, however, is the potential ...

US recommends ‘pause’ for J&J vaccine

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. on Tuesday recommended a “pause” in use of the single-dose Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine to investigate reports of rare but potentially dangerous blood clots, setting off a chain reaction worldwide and dealing a setback to the global vaccination campaign. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration announced that they were looking into unusual clots in six women between the ages of 18 and 48. One person died. The acting FDA commissioner expected the pause to last only a matter of days. But the decision ...

State halts use of J&J vaccine

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Pennsylvania is following the federal government’s recommendation and pausing use of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine during an investigation into reports of unusual blood clots, but health officials suggested the impact on the state’s overall rollout will be relatively small. The state Department of Health told vaccine providers on Tuesday to stop administering the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine until at least April 20. The temporary halt came the same day that Pennsylvania expanded eligibility for the COVID-19 shot to everyone aged 16 and ...

Colleges not requiring vaccines

Area colleges and universities are not requiring students to get vaccinated for COVID-19 as fall approaches. Two weeks ago, officials at Rutgers University announced a vaccine mandate for students, and Cornell University soon did the same. So far in central and western Pennsylvania, however, ...

Universities grapple with COVID

HARRISBURG — The challenges facing Pennsylvania’s four state-related universities, both related to COVID-19 and as well as beyond the pandemic, were a major topic of discussion Tuesday during a Senate budget hearing. The four leaders of Pennsylvania State University, University of Pittsburgh, Temple University and Lincoln University discussed the pandemic’s impact on remote learning, the digital divide, state and federal aid, budgeting and student enrollment in testimony before the Senate Appropriations Committee. Gov. Tom Wolf proposes flat funding in the state appropriation ...