(Harrisburg, Pa.) Pennsylvania’s mask order lifted at 12:01 a.m. this morning whether you are vaccinated or not you no longer have to wear a mask in the state of Pennsylvania.

On Friday via release Acting Pennsylvania Secretary of Health Alison Beam said “We are continuing to make progress toward stopping the spread of COVID-19 throughout the commonwealth, as many Pennsylvanians have taken responsibility for their own health and the health of their communities by getting vaccinated.”

The Pennsylvania Department of Health continues to urge Pennsylvanians to follow Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance for wearing a mask where required by law, rule and regulations, including healthcare, local business and workplace guidance.

The CDC guidelines still say to wear masks at airports, on planes, buses, trains and other forms of public transit. Private venues can now have the final say on masks.

Private businesses can still require you to wear a mask.

Lawmakers OK letting students repeat year because of COVID
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Lawmakers are sending the governor a bill to let Pennsylvania parents decide whether to have their children repeat a year of school. It’s a measure designed to help children catch up after a year of schooling disrupted by the pandemic. The Senate voted 50 to 0 on Thursday for the proposal. It also would permit students in special education to return for another year, even if they have reached the maximum age of 21. Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf hasn’t said if he’ll sign it. Under the bill, parents would have to decide by July 15 whether their child should repeat a grade.

Watchdog: Nursing home deaths up 32% in 2020 amid pandemic
By RICARDO ALONSO-ZALDIVAR Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — A government watchdog says that deaths among Medicare patients in nursing homes soared by 32% last year amid the coronavirus pandemic. The Department of Health and Human Services inspector general found two devastating spikes eight months apart in the most comprehensive look yet at COVID-19’s toll among its most vulnerable victims. Investigators say there were more than 169,000 additional deaths last year among Medicare recipients in nursing homes. Also, cases and deaths among Asian patients tracked the more severe impacts seen among Blacks and Latinos. Indeed, Asian Medicare enrollees in nursing homes saw the highest increase in death rates, with 27% dying in 2020.

(Harrisburg, Pa.) Pennsylvania is going to be short of the 70 percent vaccinated goal that Gov. Tom Wolf had for the mask mandate to be removed before June 28, 2021. The Governor announced previously that the mask mandate would come to end when 70 percent of Pennsylvanians are fully vaccinated or June 28, 2021, whichever came first. As Thursday the last time that data was released because of the Junteenth holiday 57.8 % of Pennsylvanians have been fully vaccinated. The Department of Health is expected to release an updated data at noon on Monday.

Pennsylvania’s COVID-19 emergency declaration formally ends
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration has certified the results of the May primary election, bringing a formal end to the disaster emergency declaration that the Democrat first issued at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Tuesday’s certification formalizes the results of the May 18 primary election. That’s when voters approved Republican-backed constitutional amendments giving lawmakers broad new power over extending and ending disaster emergency declarations. The Republican-controlled Legislature voted last week to end the disaster emergency declaration. But it also extended hundreds of regulatory waivers that Wolf’s administration approved under the authority of the declaration. The bill allows the waivers to last through Sept. 30, unless Wolf’s administration ends them sooner.

By MIKE STOBBE AP Medical Writer
NEW YORK (AP) — A new analysis of blood samples from 24,000 Americans taken early last year is the latest and largest study to suggest that the new coronavirus popped up in the U.S. in December 2019 — weeks before cases were first recognized by health officials. The analysis is not definitive, and some experts remain skeptical, but federal health officials are increasingly accepting a timeline in which small numbers of COVID-19 infections may have occurred in the U.S. before the world ever became aware of a dangerous new virus erupting in China. The study study was published Tuesday online by the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases.

Novavax: Large study finds COVID-19 shot about 90% effective
By LINDA A. JOHNSON AP Medical Writer
Vaccine maker Novavax says its shot is highly effective against COVID-19 and also protects against variants. The Maryland-based company on Monday announced results from a large, late-stage study in the U.S. and Mexico that found its vaccine was about 90% effective. Preliminary data also showed it was safe. Novavax previously released results from smaller studies in Britain and South Africa. The company plans by the end of September to file for emergency use authorization in the U.S., Europe and elsewhere. Novavax’s vaccine is made by growing harmless copies of the coronavirus spike protein in the laboratory.

Pennsylvania House Republicans Vote to Terminate Gov. Wolf’s COVID-19 Emergency Disaster Declaration

HARRISBURG – Pennsylvania Speaker of the House Bryan Cutler (R-Lancaster) and House Majority Leader Kerry Benninghoff (R-Centre/Mifflin) today announced that the House has approved House Resolution 106, which will terminate Gov. Tom Wolf’s March 6, 2020, COVID-19 emergency disaster declaration.

The resolution will now be considered by the Senate.

On passage of the resolution, Speaker Cutler and House Majority Leader Benninghoff made the following statement:

“Over the past 16 months, Pennsylvanians have had their lives upended, their livelihoods destroyed, and their liberty interrupted by Gov. Wolf’s inconsistent and unilateral use of powers under the COVID-19 emergency disaster declaration. When the voters approved these constitutional amendments just a few short weeks ago, their message was loud and clear: It is time to end the governor’s emergency powers. We could not agree more.

“The emergency is over. Our hospitals are not overrun, successful vaccines are available and abundant, our schools are prepared to teach in person and Pennsylvanians are back to work. The time is now to end the declaration.

“Make no mistake: The governor’s ability to exercise unilateral rule over the Commonwealth under the existing emergency disaster declarations will finally be coming to an end. Certain regulations that have proved to benefit Pennsylvania may need to be further suspended or waived and we will run legislation to address them as part of the budget process. We have listened to the voters and are turning their vote into action.”

Pfizer expands vaccine tests in kids under 12
By The Associated Press undefined
NEW YORK — Pfizer says it is expanding testing of its COVID-19 vaccine in children younger than 12.  After a first-step study in a small number of young children to test different doses, Pfizer is ready to enroll about 4,500 young volunteers at more than 90 sites in the U.S., Finland, Poland and Spain.
The vaccine made by Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech already is authorized for emergency use in anyone 12 and older in the U.S. and European Union.
Enrollment of 5- to 11-year-olds began this week. Those youngsters will receive two vaccine doses of 10 micrograms each — a third of the teen and adult dose — or dummy shots. Enrollment of children as young as 6 months will start in a few weeks using an even lower dose, 3 micrograms per shot.

By ZEKE MILLER Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House says the U.S. will share more COVID-19 vaccines with the world, including directing 75% of excess doses through the UN-backed COVAX global program. The White House has previously stated its intent to share 80 million vaccine doses with the world by the end of June. The administration says 25% of doses will be kept in reserve for emergencies and for the U.S. to share directly with allies and partners. The long awaited vaccine-sharing plan comes as demand for shots in the U.S. has dropped significantly. More than 63% of U.S. adults have received at least one dose, and global inequities in supply have become more glaring.