COVID-19 News

The students of Lehigh Valley Charter High School for the Arts in Bethlehem are planning a mental health awareness social media campaign.

Starting Monday, March 6, Lehigh Valley Health Network will no longer require coronavirus face masks for the public inside hospitals and health care facilities in areas not associated with patient care.

How has COVID changed the delivery of health care? What do health care workers think about lifting the COVID emergency? Health and wellness reporter Brittany Sweeney moderates a discussion with local experts on the front lines.

Our daily list of useful information, chosen to inform and enhance your day, includes news you can use and then some!

Lehigh Valley infectious disease specialists will be among the guests on PBS39's 'Community Conversation: Health and the New Normal' tonight. The hour-long show begins at 7 p.m.

The tripledemic rages on, but there are ways to lower your risk of infection. A health care administrator talks about what the industry and the public learned from the pandemic about preventing illness.

Backlogs and bottlenecks have dragged out wait times for a $350 million Pennsylvania mortgage relief program, leaving homeowners stuck in a high-stakes game of telephone.

Initial vaccine doses for people 6 months and older and booster shots for people 5 years and older now will be available at all Lehigh Valley Physician Group primary care practices.

After long-term care facilities were hard hit by COVID outbreaks in the first two years of the pandemic, staff now say they've got a better handle on the situation.

Lehigh Valley Health Network is now scheduling appointments for the latest bivalent vaccine for kids as young as 5 years old. Parents have to make an appointment.

The medication used to treat COVID-19 is widely available, but underused for treatment. Although it’s no longer free through the government, most insurances still cover the drug.

As cases of sexually transmitted diseases spike, health experts urge people to get tested. The Allentown Health Bureau is offering free walk-in testing to anyone, including those who do not live in the city.

A lack of educators, a retiring generation, and a pandemic that produced stress and burnout all have contributed to the shortage of health care workers, such as nurses. Lehigh Valley Health Network and St. Luke's University Health Network are both focused on attracting new talent.

Early education advocates say there has been a slow erosion of the number of programs, workers and classroom slots in the Lehigh Valley, and across Pennsylvania, since federal funding expired last year.

Health systems in Philadelphia are choosing to bring back mask mandates. St. Luke’s University Health Network and Lehigh Valley Health Network are weighing in on what's happening locally.

Is it COVID-19, RSV, or the flu? Doctors are saying it could be any of the three or even whooping cough. Respiratory illnesses are on the rise following the holiday season and there may not be a reprieve for a while.

Bethlehem Mayor J. William Reynolds said Bethlehem's strong fiscal position should allow it to continue grants funded by the American Rescue Plan, even after the federal money runs out.

New Bethany Executive Director Marc Rittle said the nonprofit's demographic is becoming younger, and many are not actually experiencing homelessness.

The latest COVID booster was approved for people 6 months and older this week. A local doctor says not everyone should get it.

COVID related hospitalizations are up 121% in Lehigh and Northampton counties according to the CDC. A Lehigh Valley doctor says the numbers seem worse than they are.

Those with lingering COVID-19 symptoms are part of the group of people who should stay indoors when smoke from the Canadian wildfires is particularly bad, says a Lehigh Valley doctor. He says people living with any type of lung problem should be aware of what’s happening outside.

As part of a broader initiative to assist small businesses in Easton recovering from the pandemic, the Business Retention Assistance of the City of Easton Program is offering grants to local businesses across the city.