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COVID-19

Blood cancers may blunt vaccine

A significant percentage of people with certain blood-related cancers don’t develop COVID-19 antibodies from vaccinations, leaving them potentially vulnerable to COVID-19 after they get their shots, according to findings by UPMC that were discussed in a virtual news conference Friday. Tests done on 67 fully vac­­­­­­­cinated people with “hematologic malignancies” — which include non-solid cancers like leukemia, myeloma and lymphoma — showed 46% didn’t produce COVID-19 antibodies, according to Ghady Haidar, transplant infectious diseases physician. Moreover, of the ...

Residents urged to book vaccines

HOLLIDAYSBURG — Blair County leaders are urging residents to book COVID-19 vaccination appointments through local health care facilities and pharmacies as soon as they become eligible. “The biggest areas where we’re seeing vaccine availability now are at CVS, Rite Aid, Giant Eagle, Weis and Walmart pharmacies,” Blair County Director of Public Safety Mark Taylor told commissioners Tuesday. A few weeks ago, Taylor and other county leaders were putting plans in place for a mass vaccination clinic that could be set up quickly at the Blair County Convention Center. The ...

Ag adapting to a changing world

The coronavirus pandemic has left a significant mark on the agriculture industry — but it has also provided a learning experience. “Perhaps the biggest lesson for agriculture to come out of the pandemic is how important it is for our food supply chain to be able to adapt to unexpected ...

Nearly half of new US virus cases in 5 states

Nearly half of new coronavirus infections nationwide are in just five states — a situation that is putting pressure on the federal government to consider changing how it distributes vaccines by sending more doses to hot spots. New York, Michigan, Florida, Pennsylvania and New Jersey together reported 44% of the nation’s new COVID-19 infections, or nearly 197,500 new cases, in the latest available seven-day period, according to state health agency data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. Total U.S. infections during the same week numbered more than 452,000. The heavy ...

State updates school learning models

The Pennsylvania Departments of Health and Education announced changes to its instructional model recommendations Monday as a result of updated guidance issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, according to a press release. Based on the CDC updates, the departments recommend that schools in areas with “moderate” levels of transmission operate on full-time, in-person or hybrid learning models. Counties in the “substantial” range are advised to use either hybrid or fully-remote models. “We remain committed to doing everything we can to create the conditions ...

Following the herd

LANCASTER — Late last spring a COVID-19 wave tore through the Plain community when they resumed church services, infecting an untold number of Amish and Mennonites in Lancaster County. The administrator of a medical center in the heart of the Amish community in New Holland Borough ...