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Coronavirus

Warren General drops mask requirement

The mask requirements at Warren General Hospital have been officially removed. “As a result and in line with guidelines established by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Warren General Hospital and Warren Medical Group are removing the mask requirement,” according to a Monday release from CEO Rick Allen and Medical Director Dr. Keith Price. “Effective today, Monday, May 1, 2023, Warren General Hospital and Warren Medical Group will no longer require masks regardless of vaccination in WGH facilities.” “This applies to visitors, patients, vendors, and ...

Holidays didn’t lead to feared bump in flu cases, CDC says

NEW YORK (AP) — New U.S. government data suggests holiday gatherings didn't spark surges in respiratory diseases. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday reported that visits to doctors' offices for the flu-like illnesses fell for the sixth straight week. Reports of RSV, a ...

New COVID cases continue to be reported locally

New COVID-19 cases continue to be reported nearly every day — hundreds each month. The death toll continues to rise, as well. Since cases were first reported, there have been 9,393 cases — 6,495 confirmed and 2,898 probables — in the county, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health. Those numbers reflect the number of reported cases — there could be many more that went unreported or unknown. Per 100 county residents, there have been 24.4 cases of COVID. There have been 233 COVID-related deaths in the county, with 53 of those occurring in 2022, and eight reported in ...

After a year, omicron still driving COVID surges and worries

A year after omicron began its assault on humanity, the ever-morphing coronavirus mutant drove COVID-19 case counts higher in many places just as Americans gathered for Thanksgiving. It was a prelude to a wave that experts expect to soon wash over the U.S. Phoenix-area emergency physician ...

New COVID booster shot now available

There is a new vaccine in town. The previous COVID-19 boosters were the same medicine as the primary series. There is a new booster available. “The new bivalent booster includes the original COVID strain along with Omicron variants,” according to Gaughn’s Drug Store Clinical Coordinator and Project Manager Justin Scholl. The new booster is recommended for “everyone 12 and older,” he said. Those medicines are already moving in Warren County with more on the way. “We received an initial shipment of Moderna boosters two weeks ago and have since administered all of those ...

Charter school approves back-to-school plan

Tidioute Community Charter School has approved a back-to-school plan. The school is keeping many of the building-wide practices put in place over the past three COVID years, while dropping any mask requirements. “Parents, students, staff, and visitors will not be required to wear a face covering in school at this time and in general for 2022-2023 at this time,” according to the health and safety plan approved by the board on Wednesday. “TCCS reserves the right to make masks mandatory for everyone if they are mandated by law, executive order or PDE, or the Pennsylvania Department ...