public-health
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 […]
Wolf signs executive order shielding some healthcare workers against malpractice claims during pandemic
The order will remain in effect until the administration ends the coronavirus disaster declaration, Gov. Tom Wolf's office said in a statement Wednedsay
Levine offers caveats on individual antibody testing
She did not advise Pennsylvanians against taking the test, but said that the only sure takeaway from a positive antibody test was that an individual had once had COVID-19.
Coronavirus cases in Pennsylvania up to 33; commercial labs open
*Updated with additional comment from the Department of Health at 2:26 p.m. 3/13 The state Department of Health has confirmed 33 cases of COVID-19 in Pennsylvania as of 12:30 p.m. on Friday, March 13, including the state’s first confirmed pediatric case of the coronavirus. The pediatric case, or someone under 18 years of age, was […]
Lincoln cancels face-to-face classes; Cheyney extends spring break
Lincoln began emptying out its dormitories on Wednesday. The university will shut them down — for the remainder of the semester — by Sunday.