Local humane society officials say they have not seen an increase in pet adoptions during the COVID-19 pandemic, despite shelter and humane groups nationwide seeing their numbers double. But that might be in part to a shortage of dogs. “People are home more to spend time with their ...
HOLLIDAYSBURG — The Blair County Prison population now includes 194 inmates who have recovered from COVID-19 conditions and three inmates with positive test results. Current inmates who tested positive in December — during one of two testing rounds — have since recovered and are now being housed in the general population, Warden Abbie Tate reported Thursday to the county prison board. Newly admitted inmates, she said, are being tested for COVID-19 upon arriving, then tested two more times during a 14-day quarantine before they’re considered for general population housing. With ...
Blair County law enforcement agencies reported increased drug activity during the coronavirus pandemic, but in some cases, social distancing restrictions hampered their efforts. “There were two issues that arose from the pandemic,” said Blair County District Attorney Pete Weeks. “We’ve seen more substance abuse, because of the stay-at-home orders and the circumstances brought on by decisions made during the (COVID-19) pandemic.” The second issue law enforcement encountered was fewer impediments to drug traffickers moving through the community as lockdowns hindered ...
The COVID-19 outbreak in the region continues to ease, as the two key indicators on the state’s early warning dashboard went down this week in all six local counties. Still, both indicators are above the thresholds of concern. The largest drop in the incidence rate — the number of new cases per 100,000 residents over the past week — was in Bedford County, whose number sunk 47 percent, to 135. The largest drop for test positivity was in Huntingdon County, whose number fell 7.9 percentage points to 10.2 percent. Blair County’s incidence rate declined 23 percent, to 237, ...
The state Department of Health on Tuesday added everyone 65 and older and everyone 16 to 64 with health issues that make them vulnerable to COVID-19 now eligible for the vaccinations. The department also launched online tools that instruct users step-by-step on how to get vaccinated — although for now, the usefulness of the tools is limited by a lack of vaccines delivered by Operation Warp Speed, department officials said. The health issues that qualify people 16 to 64 for vaccinations include cancer, diabetes, chronic kidney disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, heart ...
WASHINGTON — President-elect Joe Biden has tapped Pennsylvania Health Secretary Rachel Levine to be his assistant secretary of health, leaving her poised to become the first openly transgender federal official to be confirmed by the U.S. Senate. A pediatrician and former Pennsylvania physician general, Levine was appointed to her current post by Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf in 2017, making her one of the few transgender people serving in elected or appointed positions nationwide. She won past confirmation by the Republican-majority Pennsylvania Senate and has emerged as the public face ...
