Ellen DeGeneres said Thursday that she has tested positive for COVID-19.
“Hi everyone, I want to let you all know that I tested positive for COVID-19,” DeGeneres, 62, shared on social media. “Fortunately, I’m feeling fine right now.”
DeGeneres said that everyone who she has been in close contact with has already been notified.
“I am following all proper CDC guidelines,” the talk show host said. “I’ll see you all again after the holidays. Please stay healthy and safe.”
The talk show host said that she is “feeling fine right now.”
In 1872 the U.S. economy was growing as the young nation industrialized and expanded westward. Then in the autumn, a sudden shock paralyzed social and economic life. It was an energy crisis of sorts, but not a shortage of fossil fuels. Rather, the cause was a virus that spread among horses and mules from Canada to Central America.
For centuries horses had provided essential energy to build and operate cities. Now the equine flu made clear just how important that partnership was. When infected horses stopped working, nothing worked without them. The pandemic triggered a social and economic paralysis comparable to what would happen today if gas pumps ran dry or the electric grid went down.
The equine influenza first appeared in late September in horses pastured outside of Toronto. Within days most animals in the city’s crowded stables caught the virus. The U.S. government tried to ban Canadian horses, but acted too late. Within a month border towns were infected, and the “Canadian horse disease” became a North American epidemic.
Conductors and passengers pulling a streetcar in Boston during the equine influenza outbreak. Getty Images
By December the virus reached the U.S. Gulf Coast, and in early 1873 outbreaks occurred in West Coast cities.The flu’s symptoms were unmistakable. Horses developed a rasping cough and fever; ears drooping, they staggered and sometimes dropped from exhaustion. By one estimate, it killed 2% of an estimated 8 million horses in North America. Many more animals suffered symptoms that took weeks to clear.
Governor Tom Wolf announced today that he tested positive for COVID-19 yesterday and is in isolation at home.
The governor released the following statement:
“During a routine test yesterday, I tested positive for COVID-19. I have no symptoms and am feeling well. I am following CDC and Department of Health guidelines. Frances has been tested and, as we await the result, is quarantining at home with me.
“I am continuing to serve the commonwealth and performing all of my duties remotely, as many are doing during the pandemic.
“As this virus rages, my positive test is a reminder that no one is immune from COVID, that following all precautions as I have done is not a guarantee, but it is what we know to be vital to stopping the spread of the disease and so I ask all Pennsylvanians to wear a mask, stay home as much as possible, socially distance yourself from those not in your household, and, most of all, take care of each other and stay safe.”
The illness was first detected Saturday evening in Eluru, an ancient city famous for its hand-woven products. People started convulsing without any warning, said Geeta Prasadini, the director of public health.
Since then, symptoms ranging from nausea and anxiety to loss of consciousness have been reported in 546 patients admitted to hospitals. Many have recovered and returned home, while 148 are still being treated, said Dasari Nagarjuna, a government spokesperson.
Teams of experts have arrived at the city from India’s top scientific institutes. Different theories have been suggested and are being tested. The most recent hypothesis is contamination of food by pesticides.
“But nobody knows,” Prasadini admitted.
What is confounding experts is that there doesn’t seem to be any common link among the hundreds of people who have fallen sick. All of the patients have tested negative for COVID-19 and other viral diseases such as dengue, chikungunya or herpes. They aren’t related to each other. They don’t all live in the same area. They’re from different age groups, including about 70 children, but very few are elderly.
Dec. 7—A new website launched by the Cambria County Drug & Alcohol Program is designated to increase awareness among county residents of the drug- and alcohol-related treatment options available to them through the program, officials said.
The website, www.cambriadrugandalcohol.com, was described on Thursday by Fred Oliveros, program administrator, as “part of our ongoing efforts to make residents aware that drug and alcohol treatment is available at no cost.”
“Online searches are often a first step for individuals seeking information,” Oliveros said.
Rudy Giuliani said he is “getting great care and feeling good” Sunday night after President Trump announced that his personal attorney had tested positive for the coronavirus.
“Thank you to all my friends and followers for all the prayers and kind wishes,” Giuliani wrote. “I’m getting great care and feeling good. Recovering quickly and keeping up with everything.”
Trump tweeted on Sunday that Giuliani had tested positive for “the China Virus.”
The former New York City mayor has been leading the Trump campaign’s legal battle to overturn the 2020 election results in several states.
Giuliani, 76, is the latest official of Trump’s orbit to become infected with the coronavirus over the course of the pandemic. White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany, senior adviser Hope Hicks, and chief of staff Mark Meadows are among other senior staffers who have tested positive for the virus and since recovered.
A 40-year-old man was admitted to Pontchaillou University Hospital, Rennes, France, for treatment of COVID-19. His medical history was remarkable only for pulmonary sarcoidosis, diagnosed in 2015; it was well controlled with hydroxychloroquine (200 mg 2×/d) with no other immunomodulatory drugs and no adherence issues. Twelve days before admission, he had received a diagnosis of COVID-19 in the outpatient department after a 4-day course of cough, myalgia, and low-grade fever. He had positive results by PCR for SARS-CoV-2 on a nasopharyngeal sample (RdRp gene; Pasteur COV_IP2/4, Paris, France;
LA residents are ordered to stay in their homes: Mayor Garcetti tells 4million citizens to remain indoors, restricts travel, closes non-essential businesses and says it’s ‘time to cancel everything’ as hospitalizations and cases surge
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti ordered the city’s 4 million residents to stay at home Wednesday night
The mayor told the public to ‘cancel everything’ and banned all travel, including walking and bicycling
Non-essential businesses were ordered to close and officials threatened to arrest those breaking the rules
There are, however, a long list of exemptions included in the Mayor’s order
People can leaves their homes if they need to engage in a number of the exempt activities such as visiting certain businesses and exercise, including at beaches and on trails
Businesses that are exempt from the order include healthcare operations, supermarkets and convenience stores, liquor stores, gas stations, banks, hardware stores, handymen services and laundromats
Retail stores that follow the county’s in-person shopping health protocols are allowed to remain open. Indoor capacity, however, must be limited to 20 percent and be closed between 10pm to 5am
Personal care establishments such as hair and nail salons, tattoo parlors and tanning salons must limit indoor capacity to 20 percent
Garcetti’s order mirrors a directive put in place by Los Angeles County health officials last week
During a press conference, Garcetti said Los Angeles County saw increase of 5,987 new cases on Wednesday
40 new deaths were reported, bringing county’s toll to 7,740, which could hit 11,130 by end of the year
According to Garcetti, 2,572 Angelenos were hospitalized as of Wednesday; there are only 479 beds left across county and at current rate, health officials are predicting county will run out of beds in next 2-4 weeks
HARRISBURG, Pa. —Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf and Director of Testing and Contact Tracing, Michael Huff, gave an update on COVID-19 testing in the state Tuesday afternoon.
Wolf announced the extension of the Department of Health’s contract with AMI Expeditionary Healthcare to provide COVID-19 testing in five regions across Pennsylvania.
Over the next 12 weeks, five strike teams will provide regional testing for 61 counties.
The six counties not receiving testing from AMI have county health departments providing other means of COVID-19 testing.
“These testing sites are open to anyone who feels they need a test. It is important that even people with no symptoms who test positive isolate to stop the spread of COVID-19,” Huff said.
Beginning Wednesday, drive-thru and indoor walk-in testing clinics will be held to contain the recent rapid increase in COVID-19 cases in the following counties:
Bedford
Mifflin
Tioga
Northampton
Testing will be available daily from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. starting Wednesday through Sunday.
Beginning Friday, drive-thru and indoor walk-in testing clinics will be held in Butler County. Testing will be available daily from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. through Tuesday.
The county reported 603 new cases over the weekend. There have been 29,007 cases since the outbreak began in March. That’s up from 28,404 from Monday.
There have been 2.015 hospitalizations in the county during the outbreak.County Health Department Director Dr. Debra Bogen again said she was worried about the ongoing spike of coronavirus cases in the county.”
I expect to see a rise in new cases of COVID-19 from Thanksgiving and remained concerned that if our cases continue to rise at this rate, it will strain the capacity and staff of our region’s hospitals,” she said.With 9,261 cases in Westmoreland County, 4,609 in Washington County, 4,532 in Butler County and 4,024 in Beaver County, that brings the total number of cased to 51,533 when Allegheny County numbers are included. That’s up from 50,115 on Monday.
Thanksgiving week brought a deluge of food recalls. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced four of them at the end of the day on Wednesday, the day before Thanksgiving. Three of those involve produce that could be sitting in your kitchen.
Those included a recall on baby spinach in six states and eastern Canada, one from Hy-Vee on mixed vegetable packs sold in eight states, and one on organic basil distributed in ten states. It’s a bit of a pile-up that would have been easy to miss if you were focused on the holiday late last week.
Vegpro issued a recall on Fresh Attitude baby spinach due to Salmonella contamination. That’s specifically on five-ounce and 11-ounce packages. That spinach carries best before dates of December 4 on the 11-ounce and December 4 and 5 on the five-ounce packages.
The recalled spinach was distributed throughout eastern Canada, as well as Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania. The announcement, shared by the FDA, notes that Fresh Attitude products in other US states are produced at a separate facility from the one believed to be the source of Salmonella. Fresh Attitude basil in other states should be unaffected.
Six people were taken to the hospital and hazardous materials teams were called in after employees reported an unknown smell at an Amazon fulfillment center in Eastvale, California, the company told CNN.
The national outbreak is escalating sharply, and deaths are at their highest levels since April and May. Video of an elderly Italian serenading his dying wife from a hospital courtyard is enchanting the internet.
Los Angeles County announced a new stay-home order Friday as coronavirus cases surge out of control in the nation’s most populous county.
The three-week order takes effect Monday. It came as the county confirmed 24 new deaths and 4,544 new cases of COVID-19. The five-day average of new cases was 4,751.
Nearly 2,000 people in the county are hospitalized.“We know we are asking a lot from so many who have been sacrificing for months on end,” Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said. “Acting with collective urgency right now is essential if we want to put a stop to this surge.”The order advises residents to stay home “as much as possible” and to wear a face covering when they go out. It bans people from gathering with people who aren’t in their households, whether publicly or privately.
Coach Mike Tomlin canceled practice for the Pittsburgh Steelers on Friday as the team awaits a decision from the NFL on whether the game Sunday against the Baltimore Ravens will be played.
The game is in danger of being postponed for a second time because of the coronavirus outbreak in the Ravens locker room.
Since Sept. 19, the number of residents testing positive stands at 152; the number of staff with positive test results has reached 60, according to Assistant Administrator Abby Testa. Six residents have died of covid-19 since the onset of the pandemic.
Westmoreland County set a new daily record for cases on Wednesday, when 273 new coronavirus cases were added. In the past 15 days, the county has seen more covid cases (2,728) than all of October and September combined (2,657).
The county saw another seven covid-related deaths added on Wednesday — setting a new record seven-day total of 41 deaths. To date, Westmoreland has seen 179 fatalities because of the coronavirus.
The Steelers-Ravens game that was set to air on Channel 11 on Thanksgiving has been postponed due to a COVID-19 outbreak among the Baltimore players and staff.
GREENSBURG, Pa. —A Greensburg restaurant owner is continuing her mission to adapt to changes caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.Lisa Hegedus has owned Caffe Barista for 23 years. This year, she was forced to adapt quickly when the coronavirus pandemic hit in March.
“We developed a box meal program, we delivered to all essential workers and offered curbside pickup,” Hegedus said.
The business is located across the street from the Westmoreland County Courthouse and has always relied on foot traffic. With her catering business taking a hit, Hegedus focused more on getting individual meals to customers.
“You have to pivot your business,” Hegedus said. “If you don’t look at the way things are happening around you and adapt to them, you’re not going to stay open.”
Now, Hegedus is planning to pivot again with an indoor farmers market in her store, starting early next year. The goal is for customers to be able to pick up fresh produce and dairy products, while still offering the food and beverages customers are used to.
“We’re just adding a new dimension to what we already offer. It brings more people into town shopping at all the other businesses,” Hegedus said. “We’re very thankful for everything, for all of our customers the 23 years we’ve been here, and hopefully another 23 more.”
Hegedus said work on the new setup is set to get underway soon, with the goal of having the farmers market open in the early months of 2021.
Europe remained the biggest global contributor to new Covid-19 cases and deaths in the past week, the World Health Organization (WHO) said, despite signs that stricter measures against the spread of the virus are starting to have an impact.
(CNN)Europe remained the biggest global contributor to new Covid-19 cases and deaths in the past week, the World Health Organization (WHO) said, despite signs that stricter measures against the spread of the virus are starting to have an impact.
The European region accounted for 44% of global new cases and 49% of global new deaths in the past week, according to the latest weekly WHO report, released Tuesday.
While the number of new cases in the region is declining on a weekly basis, the number of deaths is still rising, with 32,684 new fatalities reported in the previous seven days.
This update comes as countries across the continent grapple with how to allow people to celebrate upcoming holidays, including Christmas, and mitigate the economic pain to businesses while countering the pandemic.
China has increased the testing of frozen foods after the country said it has repeatedly discovered the coronavirus on imported products and their packaging,
The most recent instance saw frozen shrimp imported from an Ecuadorian company banned for one week on Tuesday
Studies have shown the virus can survive for a time on cardboard and plastic containers, but it remains unclear how serious a risk that poses.
FAST FACTS
Packaging first became a major issue with outbreaks in China linked to wholesale food markets
China pushed back against the U.S. which has questioned whether the country’s crackdown is scientifically based
Studies have shown the virus can survive for a time on cardboard and plastic containers, but it remains unclear how serious a risk that poses.
Somerset Area School District Superintendent Krista Mathias reported on Friday that officials learned about four new positive COVID-19 cases in the district.
“All students and employees who were close contacts of the affected individuals have been notified and quarantined accordingly,” she wrote in an email.
As a result, the entire district will be closed for 14 days. School will resume on Dec. 7, barring additional cases or directives from the state.
All students will be learning remotely Monday and Tuesday of next week, as well as on Dec. 1-4.
Mathias said that she is in contact with state health officials each time a case is reported. Thorough cleanings and other precautions are part of the mitigation efforts.
The specter of another COVID-19 shutdown is looming over Los Angeles County, as another record-high number of daily coronavirus cases Monday pushed the region over its self-set threshold for issuing a new stay-at-home order.
When such an order will be handed down, or what precise form it will take, is unclear — though the county director of public health, Barbara Ferrer, said Monday that “for sure we’re not going back to all of the restrictions that were in place in the original Safer at Home order.
“We’ll be working with the Board [of Supervisors] to determine additional safety modifications,” she said, describing the new health order as a “targeted Safer-at-Home order.”
In a devastating blow to Los Angeles’ struggling restaurant industry, L.A. County public health officials on Sunday announced they will suspend outdoor dining at restaurants amid a surge of new coronavirus cases.
Customers dine in the Hollywood Riviera area of Redondo Beach. L.A. County has suspend outdoor dining Sunday due to the rise in coronavirus cases. (Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times)
Few segments of the L.A. retail economy have been hit harder by the pandemic than the once-booming dining world, with many landmark names closing in recent months and many more on the brink. After they were forced to close indoor dining rooms in the spring, many eateries got a lifeline when officials allowed them to serve outdoors, often in patios and makeshift dining halls built in parking lots and streets.
The new rule takes effect at 10 p.m. Wednesday and restricts restaurants — along with breweries, wineries and bars — to takeout and delivery only for the first time since May. It will remain in place for at least three weeks, officials said.
Wineries and breweries can continue retail operations.
“The persistent high number of cases requires additional safety measures that limit mixing in settings where people are not wearing masks,” Barbara Ferrer, the L.A. County health director, said in a statement.
Officials had warned earlier in the week that the new rule would be imposed if the five-day average of new cases reached 4,000, or if hospitalizations topped 1,750 per day.
NORTH VERSAILLES, Pa. — Channel 4 Action News Investigates has learned more than a half-million Pennsylvanians who applied for unemployment during the pandemic have still not been able to get it.For some, long waits for benefits have become long waits to appeal the denial of benefit
John Roman of North Versailles was laid off from his job as a school bus driver in March.Action News Investigates first told his story in April, when he was struggling to get benefits.”You can’t get through. Keep getting busy signals. I tried like four or five hours in one day,” Roman said at the time.
Eventually, the checks started coming. But in June, his case took a twist.The state Department of Labor and Industry sent him a letter saying he was ineligible for benefits and ordering him to pay back $3,000.The reason? The state said Roman took a leave of absence.But medical records show he was hospitalized for acute illness — pneumonia and COPD.So Roman filed an appeal, saying the state decision was incorrect. That was five months ago.
Asked what happened since then, Roman said: “Nothing. Nothing at all.”He’s called the state unemployment office repeatedly. He contacted his state legislator.”Mine’s at the bottom of the pile, I guess,” Roman said.In August, he finally got a callback from the state unemployment office.
An official left a voicemail message saying: “We have received the appeal information however it was not under review so that was a mistake on our part. You should receive information from us soon as again I have escalated this matter to a supervisor.”But Roman did not get a hearing until Monday, nearly three months after he received that voicemail message.”It’s wrong,” Roman said.In yet another twist, Roman was approved for unemployment after first being denied. But the state has been deducting the money he allegedly owes from the amount he is supposed to be collecting, leaving him with virtually nothing.”I could never understand their system,” Roman said.
Top state unemployment officials would not discuss specifics of Roman’s case but they were surprised when Action News Investigates told them how long he’s been waiting for his appeal.
“I do know the appeals office is still on time with everything so depending on the timing of when that was requested and what the actual circumstances are, that probably has a lot to do with it,” said Susan Dickinson, director of unemployment policy.
“John is emblematic of so many people who are so frustrated with the system and don’t know where to turn for help,” said Barney Oursler of the Mon Valley Unemployed Committee.
Oursler reached out to help Roman after seeing his initial story. He said the state made a mistake and Roman deserves to be paid.But even Oursler, who helped thousands of unemployed steelworkers in the 1980s, has hit a wall with Harrisburg.
“The system is failing people and that’s the frustration people have,” Oursler said.State officials said 32% of all Pennsylvanians filing unemployment claims during the pandemic — about 600,000 people — have been rejected.
There have been about 43,000 appeals filed.Five months after filing his appeal, Roman said he hopes he can finally get an answer.”It’s been very frustrating. There’s times I just lay down and close my eyes, is it a dream or is it reality? I’m finding out it’s reality,” Roman said.
The Diocese of Greensburg will televise Christmas Masses this season in addition to holding in-person services, to engage parishioners at home amid concern over a strong resurgence in coronavirus cases throughout the region.
“The Diocese and its parishes have consistently had thousands of faithful viewers watch our streaming Masses from their computers, tablets and smart televisions for many months now,” said Monsignor Larry Kulick.
The diocese streams Masses on its website, Facebook page and YouTube channel, and Christmas Vigil and Christmas Day Masses will premiere on those outlets as well, but it will also be broadcast on the Pittsburgh Cable News Channel.
A Christmas Vigil at Greensburg’s Blessed Sacrament Cathedral will be broadcast at 2 p.m., Dec. 24. Kulick will celebrate a 10 a.m. Mass on Christmas Day.
The diocese began reopening for in-person services on June 1. Kulick said 50 of 78 parishes in the diocese now stream Mass services, “however there are still many in our community who cannot access the internet … I hope these televised Masses will provide an opportunity for us to engage individuals and families celebrating the birth of Jesus with them in their own homes.”
In the past 30 days, Westmoreland County has seen its worst surge in coronavirus cases since the start of the pandemic.
The county added 187 cases Sunday and 167 on Monday. Of those, were confirmed through PCR tests.
Los Angeles County officials on Tuesday announced strict new coronavirus restrictions — including a 10 p.m. curfew on businesses — in an effort to combat spiking coronavirus cases.
Beginning on Friday, restaurants, bars and non-essential retail businesses will be required to close between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m., County Supervisor Sheila Kuehl told local outlet KNBC-TV.
Gatherings will also be limited to no more than 15 people from a maximum of three households, county officials said.
Other measures will include a 50 percent capacity limit for outdoor dining service and a 25 percent capacity limit for businesses allowed to operate indoors, including retail stores, offices and personal care services.
Pennsylvania Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine says there are “no plans” at this time to reinstate the color-coded coronavirus restrictions the state saw earlier in the pandemic.
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – Pennsylvania Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine says there are “no plans” at this time to reinstate the color-coded coronavirus restrictions the state saw earlier in the pandemic.
At Dr. Levine’s weekly media briefing Monday, she addressed the rising rate of infections across the state. Statewide percent positivity for last week is at 9.6%, compared to 6.9% the week before. Sixty-two of the 67 counties have positivity rates above 5%, including Allegheny County, which stands at 7.7%,
According to Dr. Levine, the new cases are connected to community spread, meaning someone gets the virus without any known contact with a sick person.
With cases here and across the state rising to their highest levels, Dr. Levine says it’s our collective responsibility to stop this community spread and bring those numbers back under control.
“We can answer the call to prevent the spread of this virus COVID-19,” she says.
Dr. Levine says it’s up to the public to voluntarily answer the call, wear masks, social distance and avoid gatherings large and small — regardless of your political leanings.
“Now that the election is over and the people have spoken, we need to stand united about these simple public health measures. This is not a political issue. This is not a partisan issue. This is an urgent public health issue in Pennsylvania,” she says.
