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COVID-19: Have Questions About New Vaccine? Newly Launched Website Has Answers COVID-19: Have Questions About New Vaccine? Newly Launched Website Has Answers
Covid-19: Have Questions About New Vaccine? Newly Launched Website Has Answers With the first round of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine set to be distributed potentially as soon as this weekend, a new interactive website has been launched that will answer any questions that one may have about the vaccination process. “COVID Vaccine Facts” has been set up by the Washington D.C.-based Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO) to help educate the public about the vaccine before it is shipped out by the federal government. “The content on this website serves as an educational tool to link people to third-party scientific and evidenced-based information related to the…

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by Zak Failla
Politics
COVID-19: Cuomo Cancels In-Person Media Briefings For First Time During Pandemic COVID-19: Cuomo Cancels In-Person Media Briefings For First Time During Pandemic
Covid-19: Cuomo Cancels In-Person Media Briefings For First Time During Pandemic New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s popular COVID-19 news briefings with members of the media will be the latest gathering to go fully remote. A spokesperson for the governor announced that moving forward, due to new CDC guidance and a spike in COVID-19 cases across the state and country, Cuomo would be canceling all in-person briefings for the time being. “Since the beginning, we’ve talked about the important role the media has played in educating the public about this pandemic,” Rich Azzopardi said late on Tuesday, Dec. 8. “But given the new stricter CDC guidelines released Friday and the realit…

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by Zak Failla
Politics
COVID-19: Biden, Harris Call For '100 Days To Mask' After Taking Office COVID-19: Biden, Harris Call For '100 Days To Mask' After Taking Office
Covid-19: Biden, Harris Call For '100 Days To Mask' After Taking Office President-elect Joe Biden’s first 100 days in office will be symbolically marked by all Americans wearing masks if he has his way. During a CNN interview on Thursday night, Dec. 3 with Vice President-elect Kamala Harris - the pair's first joint interview since winning the election - Biden decreed that in an effort to curtail the further spread of COVID-19, he will be asking Americans to mask-up following his inauguration on Wednesday, Jan. 20. “Just 100 days to mask, not forever; 100 days and I think we will see a significant reduction,” Biden said. “I think we'll see a significant reductio…

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by Zak Failla
News
COVID-19: CDC Issues New Advisory On When 7-, 10-Day Quarantines Work COVID-19: CDC Issues New Advisory On When 7-, 10-Day Quarantines Work
Covid-19: CDC Issues New Advisory On When 7-, 10-Day Quarantines Work The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have issued new guidance regarding quarantines for someone potentially exposed to COVID-19. Initially, the CDC recommended that anyone who may have been exposed to the virus enter a self-quarantine of at least 14 days to allow potential symptoms to subside. On Wednesday, Dec. 2, the CDC provided new “acceptable alternatives,” that include a 10-day quarantine for those who remain asymptomatic and seven days if no symptoms surface and a negative test is collected within two days of the final day of quarantine. The CDC defines a close contact as…

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by Zak Failla
Sports
COVID-19: Syracuse University Men's Basketball Coach Jim Boeheim Tests Positive, Team Pauses COVID-19: Syracuse University Men's Basketball Coach Jim Boeheim Tests Positive, Team Pauses
Covid-19: Syracuse University Men's Basketball Coach Jim Boeheim Tests Positive, Team Pauses Syracuse University has pressed pause on getting ready for the upcoming men's basketball season after legendary coach Jim Boeheim tested positive for COVID-19. The school announced on Sunday, Nov. 15 that Boeheim, 75, had a positive case confirmed, though he has yet to experience any symptoms and has already entered quarantine. "As part of our routine COVID-19 health and safety protocols, I, along with my team and staff, are tested for COVID-19 multiple times each week,” the longtime coach said. "Following our most recent testing, I was informed that I had tested positive for COVID-19. I i…

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by Zak Failla
Lifestyle
COVID-19: Poll Reveals Americans' Thoughts On A New Possible Lockdown COVID-19: Poll Reveals Americans' Thoughts On A New Possible Lockdown
Covid-19: Poll Reveals Americans' Thoughts On A New Possible Lockdown The majority of Americans say they are unlikely to comply with another possible lockdown as COVID-19 cases continue to mount across the country, according to a newly released poll. The latest Gallup poll found that 49 percent of Americans said they would be likely to stay home for a month if recommended by public health officials due to an outbreak of the virus. The number is down from 67 percent in late March and early April, when the virus first started surging across the country. More than half of Americans (61 percent) said they were unlikely to acquiesce to orders to return …

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by Zak Failla
Lifestyle
COVID-19: Dinner Parties, Other Casual Gatherings Cited As Fueling Surge Of Cases COVID-19: Dinner Parties, Other Casual Gatherings Cited As Fueling Surge Of Cases
Covid-19: Dinner Parties, Other Casual Gatherings Cited As Fueling Surge Of Cases With the holiday season rapidly approaching, scientists are cautioning that casual gatherings of friends and families in recent weeks may be the leading cause of the recent record-breaking surge in COVID-19 cases across the country. After “flattening” the COVID-19 curve over the summer, states across the country have seen a surge in new cases as some have grown lax in socially distancing and wearing masks, particularly when in the company of close friends and family at gatherings such as dinner parties, game nights, or sleepovers. At the outset of the pandemic, most of the clusters were li…

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by Zak Failla
Business
COVID-19: Convenience Store Closes After Employee Tests Positive In Hudson Valley COVID-19: Convenience Store Closes After Employee Tests Positive In Hudson Valley
Covid-19: Convenience Store Closes After Employee Tests Positive In Hudson Valley A convenience store in the Hudson Valley was forced to close early on Veterans Day after learning that an employee tested positive for COVID-19. Cumberland Farms, located in Orange County on Route 17M in Monroe, was forced to close at 1 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 11 after receiving confirmation of a team member getting infected with the virus. Officials from Cumberland Farms issued a statement following the confirmation, and announced that they are taking “all appropriate steps, and following guidance from local health officials." The building is being cleaned and sanitized by industrial clea…

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by Zak Failla
News
COVID-19: Pfizer Boasts Vaccine Candidate That's More Than 90% Effective COVID-19: Pfizer Boasts Vaccine Candidate That's More Than 90% Effective
Covid-19: Pfizer Boasts Vaccine Candidate That's More Than 90% Effective More reliable than the flu shot? Pfizer on Monday trumpeted a COVID-19 vaccine candidate as more than 90% effective – nearly three times better than the effectiveness of last season’s influenza vaccine. Pfizer said it hopes to have 50 million doses of the free vaccine ready by the end of this year and as many as 1.3 billion doses available next year to fight the deadly global pandemic. Two doses per person of BNT162b2 would be necessary, said the Manhattan-based drug maker, which teamed up with BioNTech of Germany to develop the booster. Pfizer plans to ask the federal Food and Drug Admini…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
Legionella Bacteria Found In Water At School District In Westchester Legionella Bacteria Found In Water At School District In Westchester
Legionella Bacteria Found In Water At School District In Westchester A Westchester school district is reporting that Legionella bacteria, the cause of Legionnaires’ disease has been discovered in two of its schools. The Scarsdale School District alerted parents that legionella was found at the Scarsdale Middle School and the Quaker Ridge School, possibly caused by the extended school closures due to COVID-19, which left pipes sitting idle for months. Testing at the school for the bacteria was conducted on Friday, Sept. 4, and the results were reported later in the month. In response to the discovery of Legionella, the district covered all water fountains an…

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by Zak Failla
News
COVID-19: Hudson Valley Sees New Increase In Cases, Positive Testing Rate; Totals By County COVID-19: Hudson Valley Sees New Increase In Cases, Positive Testing Rate; Totals By County
Covid-19: Hudson Valley Sees New Increase In Cases, Positive Testing Rate; Totals By County The Hudson Valley has seen a new increase in both new COVID-19 cases as well as the positivity rate for COVID-19 testing, according to newly released data on Wednesday, Sept. 23. Of a total of 70,930 test results reported on Tuesday, Sept. 22 to New York State, 665, or 0.94 percent, were positive. Here are positivity testing rates for the last four days in the Hudson Valley: Saturday, Sept. 19: 1.0 percent Sunday, Sept. 20: 1.1 percent Monday, Sept. 21: 1.2 percent Tuesday, Sept. 22: 1.6 percent Here's a breakdown of new cases in each of the Hudson Valley's seven counties …

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by Joe Lombardi
News
COVID-19: CDC Releases Halloween Guidelines For Trick-Or-Treating COVID-19: CDC Releases Halloween Guidelines For Trick-Or-Treating
Covid-19: CDC Releases Halloween Guidelines For Trick-Or-Treating New guidelines for trick-or-treating on Halloween have been released by the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC). The guidance was published on the CDC website Monday night, Sept. 21. "Many traditional Halloween activities can be high-risk for spreading viruses," the CDC said. "There are several safer, alternative ways to participate in Halloween.  "If you may have COVID-19 or you may have been exposed to someone with COVID-19, you should not participate in in-person Halloween festivities and should not give out candy to trick-or-treaters." The CDC offered several …

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by Joe Lombardi