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COVID-19

Town hall to address COVID-19, minorities

A town hall meeting, “COVID-19 & Communities of Color,” will air at 7:30 tonight on WTAJ. The forum will include Dr. Stephen Henderson, Penn State Health, Internal Medicine; Dr. Bolanle Limann, chief medical officer, Hamilton Health Center; Dr. Cherise Hamblin, OB/GYN, Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health; and Dr. Sharee Livingston, OB/GYN chairwoman, UPMC. The panel will address how COVID-19 disproportionately affects minority communities, why these communities mistrust the health care industry, common myths about the COVID-19 vaccine and the importance of getting tested, ...

Highlights of COVID-19 relief bill moving in House

WASHINGTON — A Democratic-led effort to pass a $1.9 trillion pandemic relief package has passed its latest challenge with House committees advancing measures that will soon be combined into a single bill expected to clear the full House by the end of February. Democrats beat back hundreds of amendments from Republicans who have raised concerns that the spending is vastly more than necessary and designed to advance policy priorities that go beyond helping Americans get through the pandemic. Democrats and President Joe Biden counter that a robust aid package is necessary to prevent a ...

Biden extends ban on foreclosures

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is extending a ban on housing foreclosures to June 30 to help homeowners struggling during the coronavirus pandemic. The moratorium on foreclosures of federally guaranteed mortgages had been set to expire on March 31. On his first day in office, Biden had extended the moratorium from Jan. 31. Census Bureau figures show that almost 12% of homeowners with mortgages were late on their payments. The White House says the coordinated actions announced Tuesday by the Departments of Housing and Urban Development, Veterans Affairs and Agriculture also ...

Shots may be tweaked if variants get worse

The makers of COVID-19 vaccines are figuring out how to tweak their recipes against worrisome virus mutations — and regulators are looking to flu as a blueprint if and when the shots need an update. “It’s not really something you can sort of flip a switch, do overnight,” cautioned Richard Webby, who directs a World Health Organization flu center from St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Viruses mutate constantly and it takes just the right combination of particular mutations to escape vaccination. But studies are raising concern that first-generation COVID-19 vaccines ...

Vaccine providers to be decreased

In order to improve its widely condemned percentage of COVID-19 vaccine doses administered, the state Department of Health will shrink the number of active providers from 780, to 200-300 — favoring the hospital systems, community health centers, local health departments and independent pharmacies that have been doing the best, while dropping primary care doctors’ offices and other small providers whose performance has lagged. The providers being retained will need to administer at least 80% of their first doses within a week, report all shots within 24 hours and make patient ...

Agency on Aging offers vaccine help to seniors

In response to criticism that its decentralized, computer-based system for COVID-19 vaccination appointments is difficult for many seniors, the state has been working to provide help through its Area Agency on Aging sites. Those sites have been coordinating with local health providers, county governments and ambulance services, helping with scheduling and transportation, offering their sites for clinics and participating in county COVID planning efforts, according to Gov. Tom Wolf and Secretary of Aging Robert Torres at a news conference this week. “It can be challenging” for ...