December 19, 2020 9:33 am
LOS ANGELES (AP) – California hospitals are battling to find beds to house patients amid fears that the exploding coronavirus infection rate will exhaust resources and health care workers. Nearly 17,000 people were hospitalized with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 infections – more than double the previous peak reached in July. One state model estimates that number could reach 75,000 by mid-January. Hospitals around the state are putting patients where they can to free up ICU beds, including using tents for emergency room overflows. Top government infectious-disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci says some areas of California are “just right at that cusp of getting overrun.”
December 19, 2020 9:30 am
LONDON (AP) – British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is holding emergency talks with his Cabinet as the government’s scientific advisors said a new variant of the coronavirus was accelerating the spread of infections. England’s chief medical officer said that based on preliminary modeling data and rapidly rising incidence rates in the south of England, a government virus advisory group thinks the new strain can spread more quickly. He says there is no current evidence to suggest the new strain is more deadly or that it affects vaccines. The World Health Organization has been informed. The government has planned to ease restrictions on socializing from Dec.23 to Dec.27 to allow people to celebrate Christmas with family and friends.
December 19, 2020 9:26 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – Congress has passed a two-day stopgap spending bill to avert a partial government shutdown this weekend. It’s part of an effort by lawmakers to buy additional time for frustratingly slow endgame negotiations on an almost $1 trillion COVID-19 economic relief package. The lawmakers are aiming for a vote Sunday to close out the broad package. Negotiators are seeking to resolve a battle over emergency Federal Reserve lending powers. Democrats say the GOP proposal would deprive President-elect Joe Biden of crucial tools to manage the economy. The hoped-for agreement would provide more than $300 billion in aid to businesses, a $300-per-week bonus federal jobless benefit, and $600 direct payments to individuals.
December 19, 2020 9:24 am
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says Russia was “pretty clearly” behind the gravest cyberattack against the United States on record. He’s the first administration official to publicly tie the Kremlin to the widespread intrusion at a time when President Donald Trump has kept silent on the failure to protect government and private-sector computer networks. It’s not clear exactly what the hackers were seeking, but experts say it could include nuclear secrets, blueprints for advanced weaponry, COVID-19 vaccine-related research and information for dossiers on key government and industry leaders. Russia has said it had “nothing to do” with the hacking.
December 19, 2020 9:21 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – The U.S. is adding a second COVID-19 vaccine to its arsenal. The Food and Drug Administration authorized emergency use Friday of the vaccine developed by Moderna and the National Institutes of Health. The decision comes days after health workers and nursing home residents began getting a similar coronavirus shot from Pfizer and BioNTech. Extra doses from a second vaccine are urgently needed, as U.S. deaths hit all-time highs and some hospitals are running out of beds. But even with additional candidates in the pipeline, there won’t be enough for the general population until spring, and shots will be rationed in the meantime.
December 19, 2020 3:59 am
Students in the Canon-McMillan School District will now have the option to attend classes mostly in school beginning in January. According to an email sent to parents on Friday, students will be phased in to 4 day a week in school class schedule beginning January 5. On that date students in grades K-4 will be able to begin going to school on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. Wednesday will be a remote learning day. Students in the intermediate schools will transition to a 4 day in class schedule beginning January 19. Grades 7-12 will return to the hybrid learning model beginning January 19. Students also have the option of staying with a full time remote learning option. Students will still need to wear masks and practice social distancing while in school and on buses.
December 18, 2020 8:59 am
Rostraver, Pa. – (WPXI) – A woman from Westmoreland County was facing charges after police said she coughed on bottles and employees at a Rostraver liquor store. Leona Warman, 69, of West Newton, walked into the store on Dec. 9, pulled down her mask, and yelled, “I have COVID-19,” according to court documents. She’s accused of then coughing on or near four store employees and touching around 300 bottles. Employees called police, who arrested Warman in the store. The bottles had to be removed from the store, causing a more than $5,000 loss. Warman is facing several charges, including reckless endangerment and violating a state health order aimed at controlling the spread of coronavirus.
December 18, 2020 8:21 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – Vice President Mike Pence has received the coronavirus vaccine during a White House event aimed at convincing skeptical Americans that the vaccines are safe. Pence’s wife, Karen, and Surgeon General Jerome Adams also got the vaccine on Friday during the event. The pandemic has killed more than 310,000 in the United States. President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris also are going to be vaccinated in public, but it’s unclear when President Donald Trump will be administered the shot.
December 18, 2020 4:16 am
President-elect Joe Biden says he has chosen North Carolina regulator Michael S. Regan as his nominee to lead the Environmental Protection Agency and New Mexico Rep. Deb Haaland as interior secretary. Biden said Thursday that the selections round out what he said would be an experienced climate team ready from their first day in office to tackle the “undeniable, accelerating, punishing reality of climate change.” The picks also help Biden fulfill his promise to put together a Cabinet that reflects the diversity of America. Regan is Black, while Haaland would be the first Native American Cabinet member in U.S. history.
December 18, 2020 4:13 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – The top leaders of the U.S. House and Senate will be receiving the coronavirus vaccine in the next few days, and Congress’ attending physician has informed members that they are all eligible for the shots under “government continuity” guidelines. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell both received the vaccines on Friday. Pelosi, D-Calif., is third in the line of succession for the presidency, after President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence. McConnell, R-Ky., is not in the line of succession, but as majority leader, he is in charge of running the Senate. (Photo: CNN)
