News Of Western Pennsylvania And The World
GREENSBURG, Pa. — The Pennsylvania National Guard arrived at a Westmoreland County nursing home Sunday morning to help control an outbreak of COVID-19.
There are 47 confirmed cases among patients at Westmoreland Manor, and 22 staff members have also tested positive.
The guard will take over COVID-19 testing so the employees who aren’t quarantined can get back to caring for patient
Source: National Guard at Westmoreland Co. nursing home to help with COVID-19 outbreak
Gates’ ‘funding’ results in an erasure of democracy and biodiversity, of nature and culture. His ‘philanthropy’ is not just philanthrocapitalism. It is philanthroimperialism…
In March 2015, Bill Gates showed an image of the coronavirus during a TED Talk and told the audience that it was what the greatest catastrophe of our time would look like. The real threat to life, he said, is ‘not missiles, but microbes.’ When the coronavirus pandemic swept over the earth like a tsunami five years later, he revived the war language, describing the pandemic as ‘a world war’.
‘The coronavirus pandemic pits all of humanity against the virus,’ he said.
In fact, the pandemic is not a war. The pandemic is a consequence of war. A war against life. The mechanical mind connected to the money machine of extraction has created the illusion of humans as separate from nature, and nature as dead, inert raw material to be exploited. But, in fact, we are part of the biome. And we are part of the virome. The biome and the virome are us. When we wage war on the biodiversity of our forests, our farms, and in our guts, we wage war on ourselves.
Source: Bill Gates’ Global Agenda and How We Can Resist His War on Life | Common Dreams Views
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated guidance on its website to say coronavirus can commonly spread “through respiratory droplets or small particles, such as those in aerosols,” which are produced even when a person breathes.
“Airborne viruses, including COVID-19, are among the most contagious and easily spread,” the site now says.
Previously, the CDC page said that COVID-19 was thought to spread mainly between people in close contact — about 6 feet — and “through respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs, sneezes or talks.”
The page, updated Friday, still says COVID-19 most commonly spreads between people who are in close contact with one another, and now says the virus is known to spread “through respiratory droplets or small particles, such as those in aerosols, produced when an infected person coughs, sneezes, sings, talks or breathes.”
These particles can cause infection when “inhaled into the nose, mouth, airways, and lungs,” it says. “This is thought to be the main way the virus spreads.”
Protect yourself and others
The best way to prevent illness is to avoid being exposed to this virus. You can take steps to slow the spread.
- Stay at least 6 feet away from others, whenever possible. This is very important in preventing the spread of COVID-19.
- Pandemics can be stressful. During times of increased physical distancing, it is still important to maintain social connections and care for your mental health.
- Cover your mouth and nose with a mask when around others. Masks should not replace other prevention measures.
- Wash your hands often with soap and water. If soap and water are not available, use a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol.
- Stay home and isolate from others when sick.
- Use air purifiers to help reduce airborne germs in indoor spaces.
- Routinely clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces.
Learn more about what you can do to protect yourself and others.
Source: Updated CDC guidance says coronavirus can spread through the air
“Speed” and “action” are required to halt the rise in cases, the UK’s chief scientific adviser warns.
Sir Patrick Vallance said that “would be expected to lead to about 200 deaths per day” a month after that.
It comes as the PM prepares to chair a Cobra emergency committee meeting on Tuesday morning, followed by a statement in the House of Commons.
On Sunday, a further 3,899 daily cases and 18 deaths were reported in the UK.
Speaking at Downing Street alongside chief medical adviser, Prof Chris Whitty, Sir Patrick stressed the figures given were not a prediction, but added: “At the moment we think the epidemic is doubling roughly every seven days.
Source: Covid-19: UK could face 50,000 cases a day by October without action – Vallance – BBC News
The Department of Defense and federal health agencies have outlined plans for a coronavirus vaccine, which include having them available for free for all Americans.
The plans came in the form of a report to Congress and a “playbook” for states and local governments, The Associated Press reported. The agencies are looking at January for a potential beginning of a vaccination campaign, although it remains possible that this could come later this year.
“We are working closely with our state and local public health partners … to ensure that Americans can receive the vaccine as soon as possible and vaccinate with confidence,” Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said in a statement.
Source: Federal government unveils plans to make coronavirus vaccine free for all Americans | Fox News
The Chinese scientist who alleges that the coronavirus that has spread throughout the world was man-made emerged for an interview with Fox News’ Tucker Carlson. Dr. Li-Meng Yan came forward recently to allege that the coronavirus was a lab-manufactured disease that did not come from nature and that the wet market story was a “smoke screen” aimed to pivot attention away from this virus’ apparent release. Dr. Yan said that this virus was China’s Frankenstein monster. Carlson asked about China’s motives in creating this virus if it is man-made, which Dr. Yan said you’d have to ask the Chinese Communist Party.
Source: Chinese Whistleblower to Tucker Carlson: Coronavirus Was Man-Made And Released Intentionally
Gilead Sciences Inc is nearing a deal to buy biopharmaceutical company Immunomedics Inc for more than $20 billion in a deal that would further expand Gilead’s portfolio of cancer treatments, the Wall Street Journal reported on Saturday.
Source: Gilead nears deal to buy Immunomedics for more than $20 billion, WSJ reports | Reuters
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — Some good news for restaurants and their customers in Pennsylvania.
Governor Tom Wolf is allowing all restaurants to open to 50 percent capacity indoors. But that will help some restaurants more than others.
Local restaurants have been free to serve food and drink outdoors while following coronavirus safety regulations, but they have been limited indoors to just 25 percent of capacity. But that will change on Sept. 21.
“Step in the right direction, for sure,” Jeff Broadhurst, CEO and president of the Eat’n Park Hospitality Group, told KDKA money editor Jon Delano on Tuesday. “Great to hear that this morning. And I can tell you as an industry, we’re ready for it, and we’re prepared to serve people safely.”
“A member of The Batman production has tested positive for COVID-19 and is isolating in accordance with established protocols,” a Warner Bros. spokesperson said in a statement.
Source: ‘The Batman’ halts production again after Robert Pattinson reportedly tests positive for COVID-19
It’s probably a good idea to throw food away after several years have passed.
Frito-Lay announced this week that it has issued the voluntary recall of Lay’s Barbecue flavored potato chips that may have also been included in variety packs.
The recall is due to undeclared milk allergens.
Source: Recall Issued For Popular Brand Of Lay’s Potato Chips | Litchfield Daily Voice
Fast food chain says famous tagline is unsuitable in the light of the hygiene measures issued for the pandemic
Source: KFC drops ‘Finger Lickin Good’ slogan due to Covid-19
Director of the CDC Dr. Robert Redfield said that daily new cases still remain high and he’d like to bring that number down below 10,000 new cases per day.
KEY POINTS
- Daily new cases of the coronavirus have been on a sustained decline since the end of July, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.
- Deaths, which lag behind new cases as people fall ill, become hospitalized and die, have remained stubbornly high, at roughly 1,000 new Covid-19 deaths per day, on average, according to a CNBC analysis of Hopkins data.
- “I think we’re going to start to see a decline in mortality across the country now next week as we continue to get control of these cases,” Director of the CDC Dr. Robert Redfield said Thursday.
Source: CDC chief Dr. Redfield says coronavirus deaths could start to fall next week
The FDA found salmonella in shrimp imported by Kader Exports, causing a recall of various frozen shrimp products, including those sold under the house brands Costco, BJ’s Wholesale and Tops grocery chains.
Source: Salmonella causes shrimp recall at Fresh Market, Costco, BJ’s | Miami Herald
The program allows people in the Seattle area to easily take a coronavirus test at home. Researchers say such testing is essential for future monitoring of the virus.
SEATTLE — An innovative coronavirus testing program in the Seattle area — promoted by the billionaire Bill Gates and local public health officials as a way of conducting wider surveillance on the invisible spread of the virus — has been ordered by the federal government to stop its work pending additional reviews.
The program involved sending home test kits to both healthy and sick people in the hope of conducting the kind of widespread monitoring that could help communities safely reopen from lockdowns. Researchers and public health authorities already had tested thousands of samples, finding dozens of previously undetected cases.
But the program, a partnership between research groups and the Seattle and King County public health department that had been operating under authorization from the state, was notified this week that it now needs approval directly from the federal government. Officials with the Food and Drug Administration told the partnership to cease its testing and reporting until the agency grants further approval.“Please discontinue patient testing and return of diagnostic results to patients until proper authorization is obtained,” the F.D.A. wrote in a memo.
Source: F.D.A. Halts Coronavirus Testing Program Backed by Bill Gates – The New York Times
Stay Safe
Evon Onusic grew up near Johnstown in Portage, PA, and always felt connected to Pittsburgh. So when he developed a plan to bring medical-grade KN95 masks from China to the U.S., his first shipment of 2,000 last week went straight to Allegheny Health Network in Pittsburgh.
Onusic currently runs a Nashville-based tech startup called DeltaSift. He spent years in Silicon Valley, where he ran a successful company called Algo, which had a Pittsburgh office. He’s also a senior advisor at GSVlabs, which is opening an office in Pittsburgh. When the pandemic hit, Onusic spun out a new company from DeltaSift called Stay Safe.
Free masks at police stations
Masks are needed now to do the most basic things, like go to the grocery store. But not everybody has access to them.
Now, thanks to a partnership between Pittsburgh-based medical relief agency Global Links and the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police, you can pick up a free mask from a newspaper box outside any Pittsburgh police station.
Two million masks arrive at PITTwo million N95-type masks from South Korea arrived early Monday morning at Pittsburgh International Airport.They were then delivered to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), who will distribute them. The masks come from the South Korean government, as emergency assistance to the U.S.The flight landed at 2 a.m. in a National Airlines B747-400F. It’s the third such flight from South Korea to land in Pittsburgh in the past two weeks.
Source: 3 efforts to get free masks to those in Pittsburgh and beyond
Never forget, Bill Gates told the world via Twitter that COVID-19 couldn’t spread from human to human contact. Now Gates wants to microchip humans who have had COVID-19.
What do you and Bill Gates have in common? Both are equally qualified to offer medical advice.
Never forget, Bill Gates told the world via Twitter that COVID-19 couldn’t spread from human to human contact. Now Gates wants to microchip humans who have had COVID-19.
No. Just no. Considering our country was shut down for what equates to a flu, maybe Gates should spend his free time coming up with ways to help millions of people find employment rather than trying to track people who had the misfortune of contracting Chinese AIDS.
Crowder ripped Gates during his CNN Livestream last Thursday.
Source: Bill Gates offers a creepy response to COVID – TheBlaze
As businesses contemplate the return of workers to their desks, many are considering large and small changes to the modern workplace culture and trappings.
SAN FRANCISCO — The modern corporate office is renowned for open, collaborative work spaces, in-house coffee bars and standing desks with room for two giant computer monitors.
Soon, there may be a new must-have perk: the sneeze guard.
A plexiglass barrier that can be mounted on a desk is one of many ideas being mulled by employers as they contemplate a return to the workplace after coronavirus lockdowns. Their post-pandemic makeovers may include hand sanitizers built into desks that are positioned at 90-degree angles or that are enclosed by translucent plastic partitions; air filters that push air down and not up; outdoor gathering space to allow collaboration without viral transmission; and windows that actually open, for freer air flow.
Source: The Pandemic May Mean the End of the Open-Floor Office – The New York Times
China’s Communist dictatorship mismanaged the outbreak of the coronavirus and tried to cover it up, lying to the United States and the rest of the world.
Indeed, the Chinese government is largely responsible for a local outbreak in the city of Wuhan becoming the global pandemic that has killed tens of thousands of Americans and puts tens of millions more out of work.
But we still don’t know the exact origins of the virus. Did it come from a Chinese wet market or a laboratory? We also need to figure out what responsibility China should bear for the devastation the pandemic has caused and how to hold Beijing accountable.
As nursing and personal care homes have been the hardest hit by the coronavirus throughout the country and state, precautions put in place have so far enabled the 400-bed Westmoreland Manor to be spared, officials said Tuesday.
The county-owned nursing home, the largest of the 66 nursing home or personal care facilities in Westmoreland County, has yet to record a single case among residents and staff as the pandemic has circulated throughout the community.
“It’s a combination of proper planning and managers and staff taking their job seriously,” Commissioner Sean Kertes said.
Nearly all of the Manor’s roughly 500 staffers are county employees. The facility is run by Quest Healthcare Development Inc., a private company based near Murrysville that owns and operates nursing homes throughout Pennsylvania.
Source: County officials ‘knocking on wood’ Westmoreland Manor remains virus-free | TribLIVE.com
New York (CNN Business)Tyson Foods (TSN) is warning that “millions of pounds of meat” will disappear from the supply chain as the coronavirus pandemic pushes food processing plants to close, leading to product shortages in grocery stores across the country.
“The food supply chain is breaking,” wrote board chairman John Tyson in a full-page advertisement published Sunday in The New York Times, Washington Post and Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.US farmers don’t have anywhere to sell their livestock, he said, adding that “millions of animals — chickens, pigs and cattle — will be depopulated because of the closure of our processing facilities.”“There will be limited supply of our products available in grocery stores until we are able to reopen our facilities that are currently closed,” Tyson wrote.
Source: Tyson Foods warns that “the food supply chain is breaking’ as plants close – CNN
Kim Jong Un may have left the capital of Pyongyang and could be sheltering in an undisclosed location on North Korea’s eastern coast, according to multiple reports, UPI reported Friday.
The dictator’s absence triggered speculation about his health this week, following reports he was in critical condition after heart surgery.
Kim may have been evacuated to the coastal city of Wonsan, Kangwon Province, where he may have been overseeing construction of a major resort, the South Korean news service Newsis reported Friday.
Newsis said movement by Kim’s “dedicated vehicles” suggested he may have been evacuated from Pyongyang.
A special train for Kim’s use was stationed in Wonsan, but Kim’s private plane remained in Pyongyang, the report says.
Source: Kim Jong Un may have left Pyongyang as health rumors swirl
The state Department of Health map includes information for all 67 counties.
The ZIP codes in Westmoreland County with the highest numbers of confirmed cases are Latrobe (15650) with 68, Greensburg (15601) with 38 and New Kensington (15068, including part of Allegheny) with 35, according to state figures. The county has 291 confirmed cases.
ZIP codes often include multiple municipalities or parts of several communities, such as 15068 — which includes New Kensington, Arnold, Lower Burrell, Upper Burrell and parts of Allegheny Township, Murrysville and Plum. The number of cases listed includes the entire ZIP code.
Allegheny County has reported positive covid-19 cases down to the municipal level using an online map since late March.
The new coronavirus has upended all of our usual calculus about seemingly ordinary activities. Is running past someone on the street safe? How about shopping in a grocery store with a 6-foot (2 meters) distance? And what about packages and takeout? And which of these activities poses the biggest risk?Unfortunately, there’s a lot we still don’t know about the way the virus that causes COVID-19 spreads.”At this point, I don’t think anyone can take a group of people with COVID, say how each person has become infected, and then say that xx% got infected with droplets and yy% got infected via touching surfaces,” Dr. Jeffrey N. Martin, a professor in the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the University of California, San Francisco, told Live Science in an email. “I don’t think this kind of study has ever been done for any infection. In most individual persons, we do not know how the person got infected.
—Coronavirus in the US: Map & cases
—What are the symptoms of COVID-19?
—How deadly is the new coronavirus?
—How long does coronavirus last on surfaces?
—Is there a cure for COVID-19?
—How does COVID-19 compare with seasonal flu?
—How does the coronavirus spread?
—Can people spread the coronavirus after they recover?
Source: What are the main modes of transmission for COVID-19? | Live Science
VANDERGRIFT, Pa. —
7:45 PM | 9:15 PM | Riverside Drive InApril 10–12
The Riverside Drive-In in Parks Township, Armstrong County is teaming up with Harvest Baptist Church in Natrona Heights to provide Easter services while also allowing people wishing to worship to practice social distancing.
There will be six showings of a 53-minute pre-recorded service at the drive-in this weekend.
Although the drive-in has a capacity of 300 cars, owner Todd Ament said he’ll limit capacity to 150 to help people practice social distancing. Bathrooms will be open but concessions will be closed.The event is free but people wishing to attend need to reserve a spot online.
To reserve a spot, click this link.
Source: Easter on the big screen at Pittsburgh-area drive-in
Dr. Manny explains whether you should be taking zinc supplements to help prevent COVID-19.
Dear. Dr. Manny,
I’ve read that zinc supplements may help protect me against COVID-19. Is there any truth to that?
Thanks for your question.
Right now, the most important measure that you can take to protect yourself from the novel coronavirus is social distancing, washing your hands, not touching your face and following the guidelines that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has put out for self-quarantine.
However, I do understand your question.
MONITORING FOR CORONAVIRUS: WHAT IS AN OXIMETER?
Zinc supplements have been touted for many years to be effective in shortening the phase of common colds, and there is data to support that impression.
There have been many randomized controlled trials that have shown that zinc supplements can inhibit replication of the common cold viruses and, therefore, reduce the average duration of a common cold.
Source: Will zinc supplements protect against coronavirus? | Fox News
Tyson Foods Inc. is recalling about 11.8 million pounds of frozen, ready-to-eat chicken strips over fears that the products may be contaminated with metal, food safety officials said Saturday. The company is expanding upon a prior recall of more than 69,000 pounds of chicken strips in March, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service said in a statement.
The recalled products were produced in one location between October 1, 2018 and March 8, 2019. They have the number “P-7221” on the back of the product package and a “use by” date of October 1, 2019 to March 7, 2020.
“Additional measles cases” have been confirmed in Allegheny County, health officials said Thursday evening.
AUGUSTA (Sun Journal) — Welcome to the start of tick season. May is Lyme Disease Awareness Month in the United States, and the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention has issued a reminder that everyone be “tick aware and tick alert,” especially as the days get warmer. Maine game wardens are definitely seeing ticks, according to spokesman John MacDonald. Ticks like damp, wet grass and woods. The National Weather Service said Tuesday that Maine in April received 5.
Source: Tick alert: May is Lyme Disease Awareness Month
President Trump has told Americans to “get their shots” as measles cases spread across the country.
“The vaccinations are so important,” he told reporters outside the White House.
Nearly 700 cases have been reported across 22 states amid a resurgence of the highly infectious disease, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says.
Mr Trump has previously appeared to link vaccines and autism. Public health experts say there is no link.
Source: Measles outbreak: Trump tells Americans to ‘get their shots’ – BBC News
