The coronavirus has ground social, economic and educational exchanges to a halt around the world. For now, public health officials are relying on tools like social distancing to minimize the harm of the virus, but in the long term, a COVID-19 vaccine is the best hope of a return to...
ValleyPBS Lays Off Staffers, CEO Says COVID-19 Cut Into Revenues
Several ValleyPBS staffers were laid off Friday in a cost-cutting move that station president/CEO Lorenzo Rios said was due to revenue losses associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. Rios said the staffers were administrative and not the operational employees responsible for keeping the station on the air. He would not confirm...
Fresno County Mandates Health Checks, Reports 4 New COVID-19 Cases
All employers must screen workers for fever or respiratory issues as part of a new order from the Fresno County Public Health Department announced Friday afternoon. Employees exhibiting symptoms will be sent home. The department also announced four new cases of COVID-19, bringing the county's total to 31. Of those...
Fighting COVID-19: Drug Shows Promise in Treating Coronavirus Patients
Vancouver-based company CytoDyn Inc. shared positive test results on Friday from seven coronavirus patients who were treated with the company’s leronlimab drug at a leading medical center in the New York City area. Seven Patients With Severe COVID-19 Demonstrate Promise In a Friday press release sent to GV Wire, the company says...
Two Deaths Tied to California Cruise Ship, With Few Tested
SAN FRANCISCO — Two men who traveled on a coronavirus-stricken cruise ship stalled for days off the California coast have died, federal officials said Thursday, and they confirmed that fewer than half the ship’s passengers were tested for the virus despite assurances that everyone would be tested. The men, both...
Fighting COVID-19: 'Project Lightspeed' Vaccine Aims for April Testing
Germany-based BioNTech is working with Pfizer Inc. to develop a potential COVID-19 vaccine. The collaboration aims to accelerate the development of BioNTech’s potential COVID-19 mRNA vaccine program, BNT162, which is expected to enter clinical testing by the end of April. In an email exchange, a member of BioNTech communications teams, Laura Mittmann, answered these...
Stars of 'Contagion' Reunite to Offer Coronavirus Advice
NEW YORK — The stars of the 2011 virus thriller “Contagion” — a prescient film these days — have reunited for a series of public service announcements to warn about COVID-19. Matt Damon, Laurence Fishburne, Kate Winslet and Jennifer Ehle have teamed up with scientists from Columbia University's Mailman School...
BREAKING: House Passes $2.2T Rescue Package, Rushes It to Trump
WASHINGTON— Acting with exceptional resolve in an extraordinary time, the House rushed President Donald Trump a $2.2 trillion rescue package Friday, tossing a life preserver to a U.S. economy and health care system left flailing by the coronavirus pandemic. The House approved the sweeping measure by a voice vote, as...
Not All or Nothing: Anti-Virus Lockdowns Could Lift Slowly
WASHINGTON — For the millions of Americans living under some form of lockdown to curb the spread of the coronavirus, not knowing when the restrictions will end is a major source of anxiety. Will life events — weddings, funerals, even just simple nights out with friends — be delayed for...
Fresno Is Sicker and Has a Doctor Shortage. So Coronavirus Poses a Huge Threat, Experts Warn.
The central San Joaquin Valley for years has struggled to attract medical doctors, with physician-to-resident ratios well below what medical experts say is needed for adequate healthcare. That was before the coronavirus pandemic. Now the rapid spread of COVID-19 may well expose the Fresno area to even greater risk if...