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COVID-19

US clears Moderna vaccine to fight virus

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. added a second COVID-19 vaccine to its arsenal Friday, boosting efforts to beat back an outbreak so dire that the nation is recording more than 3,000 deaths a day. Much-needed doses are set to arrive Monday after the Food and Drug Administration authorized an emergency rollout of the vaccine developed by Moderna Inc. and the National Institutes of Health. The move marks the world’s first authorization for Moderna’s shots. The vaccine is very similar to one from Pfizer Inc. and Germany’s BioNTech that’s now being dispensed to millions of health ...

Calif. hospitals ‘crushed’ by virus

LOS ANGELES — Increasingly desperate California hospitals are being “crushed” by soaring coronavirus infections, with one Los Angeles emergency doctor predicting Friday that rationing of care is imminent. The most populous state recorded more than 41,000 new confirmed cases and 300 deaths, both among the highest single-day totals during the pandemic. In the last week, California has reported more than a quarter-million cases and 1,500 deaths. “I’m not going to sugarcoat this. We are getting crushed,” said Dr. Brad Spellberg, chief medical officer at Los Angeles ...

Vaccinations to begin locally today

UPMC Altoona received a shipment of the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine Wednesday, despite the snow, and will begin inoculations of frontline health care workers today in the context of a news conference at the hospital. UPMC Altoona, along with Mount Nittany Medical Center in State College, were among seven hospitals to get shipments of the vaccine Wednesday, after seven received them Tuesday and two Monday, according to information from the state Department of Health. The Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention approved the Pfizer vaccine last ...

Virus relief bill talks hit snags

WASHINGTON — It’s a hurry up and wait moment on Capitol Hill as congressional negotiators on a must-pass, almost $1 trillion COVID-19 economic relief package struggled through a handful of remaining snags on Thursday. The holdups mean a weekend session now appears virtually certain, and a top lawmaker warned that a government shutdown this weekend can’t be ruled out. All sides appeared hopeful that the wrangling wouldn’t derail the legislation. The central elements of a hard-fought compromise appeared in place: more than $300 billion in aid to businesses; a $300-per-week bonus ...

Blair prison tests again for virus

HOLLIDAYSBURG — About 90 Blair County Prison inmates who previously tested negative for COVID-19 are in the process of being tested again, Warden Abbie Tate told the county prison board Thursday. With 132 inmates having tested positive for COVID-19, the county prison remains in what Tate calls a “modified lockdown,” which restricts inmate movement within the facility as a way to keep the coronavirus from spreading. As new COVID-19 test results come back for the inmates who previously tested negative, the prison staff will evaluate the situation and decide if more out-of-cell ...

FCI Loretto admits severity of coronavirus outbreak

In filing a petition Wednesday replying to an inmate’s request for compassionate release due to health reasons, the Federal Correctional Institution at Loretto has admitted the severity of the COVID-19 outbreak in the prison, but seeks dismissal of the inmate’s lawsuit. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew S. McHale from Pittsburgh responded Wednesday to a recent order by U.S. Magistrate Judge Patricia L. Dodge, asking the government to answer a petition filed by inmate Dr. Atif B. Malik, who is serving a sentence for financial fraud. Earlier this year, Malik, 50, serving as his own ...