public-health
Federal officials declare a public health emergency for monkeypox
More than 6,600 monkeypox cases have been reported in the United States, according to the latest Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data. The hardest-hit states are New York, California, Illinois, Florida, Georgia and Texas.
Wolf admin denies legislative panel access to COVID death data, says it’s not a government agency
The Wolf administration has ruled that a six-decade-old legislative committee is not a government agency, blocking its efforts to access 100 redacted death certificates for a study of COVID-19 data reporting. The Legislative Budget and Finance Committee, which sought the information, noted the administration’s ruling in a report it released this week. The 12-member committee, […]
Pa. House GOP splits, votes down vouchers for closed schools, mask requirements
The conflicts at play in Sonney’s amendment and DelRosso’s underlying bill — between public and private education, and how to respond to the pandemic — join one long running debate with a more current flash point.
With $370M in COVID relief to spend, Wolf looking at vaccine incentives
Pennsylvania’s vaccination rate is currently hovering around 60 percent, and the number of people who are fully vaccinated in recent weeks has slowed.
Suburban Philly activist, local leaders urge Congress to move faster on regulating PFAS
An independent panel of scientists found a probable link between exposure to PFOA and PFOS and multiple health problems, such as high cholesterol, thyroid disease, and testicular and kidney cancer.
Pa. doctors could be punished for rejecting vaccine-skeptical parents under advancing House legislation
(*This story was updated at 4:40 p.m. with comment from the Hospital and Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania) Doctors could be punished for refusing to see children whose parents reject the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention vaccinations standards under a bill passed by a Republican-controlled Pennsylvania House panel Wednesday morning. In a party line 15-10 […]
Pa. joins national pause on Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine
(*This story was updated at 3:20 p.m. on Tuesday, 4/13/21 with new information from the Department of Health.) Matching a federal order that came down Tuesday, Pennsylvania has paused the use of Johnson & Johnson’s one-shot COVID-19 vaccination until at least April 20, pending a review by the Food and Drug Administration. Federal regulators recommended […]
Biden pitches big boosts in education and health spending in budget request
The president’s $1.5 trillion request seeks to spend $769 billion on discretionary programs not related to defense — a 16% increase over the current fiscal year. The proposal is in sharp contrast to Trump administration budget requests during the past four years that sought to scale back the size of most domestic programs.
Pa. charts its highest single-day total for COVID-19 cases, health officials say
That’s more than the previous one-day high of people who tested positive in a single day this spring, during the early days of the pandemic.
A Texas judge ruled this doctor was not an expert. A Pennsylvania Republican invited him to testify on trans health care
A physician testifying before a House panel Monday as part of a “fact-finding mission” on gender-affirming care was disqualified by a judge earlier this year as an expert on trans health care.
Pa. Lawmaker: It’s not government’s responsibility to ‘try to keep us safe’
(*This story was updated at 6:33 p.m on 8/12/20 with additional comment) A Republican lawmaker called for Americans to exhibit “personal responsibility” to fight the COVID-19 pandemic while arguing it is the job of private businesses and individuals, not lawmakers and public servants, to implement health policy. The remarks, by Rep. Jim Cox, R-Berks, came […]
Testing delays scrutinized as Wolf announces state aid for Lehigh Valley firm
Democratic lawmakers grilled state Health Department officials on COVID-19 testing issues in Pennsylvania at a hearing Tuesday. Across the state, citizens have reported delays of up to two weeks in receiving test results. Gov. Tom Wolf even acknowledged the delay in a press conference last week. But the acknowledgment was cold comfort to some lawmakers […]