December 17, 2020 2:31 am
Shortly after 7 a.m. on Dec. 16, Carol Soltes, who works in the Operating Room, at Monongahela Valley Hospital, received Washington County’s first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. “I’m getting the vaccine to help keep our patients and my co-workers and family safer,” Ms. Soltes said as she rolled up her sleeve for the injection. Monongahela Valley Hospital was among the first health systems in Western Pennsylvania and the only one in Washington County to receive the COVID-19 vaccine in the first shipment. MVH is administering the Pfizer vaccine to its employees and physicians in two doses approximately 21 days apart. The Pfizer vaccine is 50% effective after the first dose and 95% effective after the second dose. “It is wonderful that we have the ability to provide this vaccine to staff, said Sherry Watkins, MBA, MSN, RN, MVH’s senior vice president of Nursing. “It is important for us to protect ourselves so we are here every day to care for our community.” (Photo: Carol Soltes, who works in the Operating Room, receives one of Washington County’s first COVID-19 vaccinations at Monongahela Valley Hospital from Christopher Coccari, RN, director of Perioperative Services)
December 16, 2020 5:27 pm
(AP) – Twitter says it will begin removing misinformation about COVID-19 vaccinations from its site. That includes false claims that the virus is not real, debunked claims about the effects of receiving the vaccine. It will also remove baseless claims suggesting immunizations and vaccines are used to intentionally cause harm or to control people. Twitter said in a blog post Wednesday that it will start enforcing the new policy next week. If people send tweets in violation of the rules, they will be required to delete them before they are able to tweet again. Before the offending tweet is removed, Twitter will hide it from view.
December 16, 2020 4:18 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – President-elect Joe Biden has formally announced former rival Pete Buttigieg as his pick to be secretary of transportation. Buttigieg would be the first openly gay person confirmed by the Senate to a Cabinet post. The 38-year-old former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, was virtually unknown nationally when he launched a longshot bid for president, but became a formidable political force in the early primary states, finishing well ahead of Biden in Iowa and New Hampshire. Buttigieg eventually endorsed Biden, who later suggested the ex-mayor could be a bridge to a new generation of Democratic leadership. Biden plans to formally introduce Buttigieg during a Delaware event Wednesday with Vice President-elect Kamala Harris.
December 16, 2020 4:17 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – Top Capitol Hill Republicans are laboring to keep the price tag for a long-delayed COVID-19 aid package in check, seeking to prevail in a battle over help for state and local governments, while capping the cost of bonus jobless benefits and direct payments sought by Democrats. Negotiations on COVID-19 relief intensified Tuesday after months of futility. The top four leaders of Congress met twice in hopes of finally cementing an agreement that would revive subsidies for businesses hit hard by the pandemic, help distribute new coronavirus vaccines, fund schools and renew soon-to-expire jobless benefits.
December 16, 2020 4:16 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – Hundreds more U.S. hospitals have started inoculating their workers as a second COVID-19 vaccine moves toward government authorization. About 400 hospitals and other health care facilities were getting first shipments of the Pfizer vaccine on Tuesday. The expansion comes one day after the nation’s death toll surpassed a staggering 300,000. Nurses and other health workers volunteered to be among the first recipients, hoping to dispel fears over safety. The Food and Drug Administration says a second potential COVID-19 vaccine, developed by Moderna, appears safe and highly effective. An expert panel will publicly review the shot on Thursday, and clearance from the FDA is expected soon afterward.
December 16, 2020 4:15 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – The Trump administration has relaxed a regulation restricting water flow from showerheads – something that was a pet peeve of President Donald Trump, who complained that he wanted more water to make his hair “perfect.” Since 1992, federal law has dictated that showerheads shouldn’t spew more than 2.5 gallons of water a minute. As newer shower fixtures came out with multiple nozzles, the Obama administration updated the ruling, stating that 2.5 gallons was still the limit regardless of how many nozzles were running. The new ruling now says each showerhead can emit 2.5 gallons a minute.
December 16, 2020 4:14 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is seeking to shut down any Senate effort to support President Donald Trump’s extended assault on the election. During a private call Tuesday, he warned Republican senators not to join a January floor fight in Congress over the Electoral College results. McConnell is trying to unite a fractured Republican Party ahead of Georgia runoff elections that will determine Senate control. First, the Republican leader heaped praise on Trump’s “endless” accomplishments as he congratulated President-elect Joe Biden during a morning Senate speech. Then he privately warned Republican senators against disputing the Electoral College tally when Congress convenes Jan. 6 to confirm the results.
December 16, 2020 4:11 am
BELLE VERNON, Pa. — (WPXI)- The Superintendent of Belle Vernon Area School District said all instruction stopped at 11 a.m. Wednesday so students and families could “let go of the stress and worry of school and make some special memories.” In a letter sent to parents in the district, Dr. Michele Dowell encouraged people to “Go outside and make snow angels or go sledding.” Dowell said families could even make cookies or play cards indoors and suggested making a fort in the living room. The letter says, in part; Beginning at 11:00 am on Wednesday, we will stop all instruction. I know that it is an asynchronous day, but I am asking that all families stop doing any type of academic activity from 11 am through the rest of the day, regardless of whether you finished your assignments for the day or not. Teachers will be flexible in giving additional time for the assignments posted. Enjoy the wonders of this season and forget, even if for a very short period of time, about all the stress that we have been under for so long. We will return to our routine again on Thursday. Take care and stay safe.”
December 15, 2020 4:38 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) – President-elect Joe Biden is expected to pick former South Bend, Indiana, mayor Pete Buttigieg to head the Transportation Department. That’s according to three people familiar with the plans who spoke on condition of anonymity Tuesday to avoid preempting the president-elect’s announcement. The 38-year-old Buttigieg was one of Biden’s rivals for the Democratic presidential nomination. He was a breakout star of the primaries, sharing victory in the nation’s first caucus with Bernie Sanders. He suspended his campaign before Super Tuesday and endorsed Biden. The Transportation Department helps oversee the nation’s highway system, planes, trains and mass transit and is poised to play a key role early in the incoming administration.
December 15, 2020 4:26 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) – A home test for COVID-19 will soon be on U.S. store shelves. The Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday cleared the first kit that consumers can buy without a prescription to test themselves entirely at home. Regulators granted use for a similar home test last month, but it requires a doctor’s prescription. The test kit from an Australian company allows users to swab themselves and get the results at home in about 20 minutes. The test connects to a digital app to help users interpret the results. The company says it will have 3 million tests available next month.
