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☆ FDA advisors raise doubts about seasonal updates to Covid vaccines as with flu shots
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-16 | by ( Annika Kim Constantino | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's independent panel of advisors raised doubts about the need to "periodically" update Covid vaccines, noting that it's unclear if the virus is seasonal like the flu. But the original voting question included language about whether the panel recommends a "periodic update" to Covid shots. But several advisors cautioned against calling Covid seasonal like the flu. "It's not clear to me that this is a seasonal virus yet," said Henry Bernstein, a pediatrician at Cohen Children's Medical Center. In response to the advisors, FDA's Marks emphasized that Covid shots will likely require another update "at some point."

Persons: Peter Marks, Arthur Reingold, Henry Bernstein, Mark Sawyer, Sawyer, FDA's Marks Organizations: Union Station, The U.S . Food, University of California, Children's Medical Locations: Los Angeles , California, The U.S, Berkeley, U.S, San Diego

☆ FDA advisors recommend that new Covid vaccines target an omicron XBB variant this fall
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-15 | by ( Annika Kim Constantino | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

The committee unanimously voted that the new jabs should be monovalent — meaning they are designed to protect against one variant of Covid — and target a member of the XBB family. Those strains of Covid are descendants of the omicron variant, which caused cases to surge to record levels early last year. Advisors also generally agreed that the new shots should specifically target a variant called XBB.1.5. There is also uncertainty about which age groups the FDA and CDC will advise to receive the updated shots this fall. But it's unclear how many Americans will roll up their sleeves to take the updated shots later this year.

Persons: Melinda Wharton, Novavax, John Jacobs, Peter Marks, David Kaslow Organizations: . Food, Centers for Disease Control, Advisors, Pfizer, Moderna, National Center, FDA, CDC, Novavax, omicron Locations: U.S, Novavax

☆ A Vancouver bakery owner said she caught a thief breaking in on video — he swept the floor, took some selfies, and left with 6 cupcakes
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-28 | by ( Jordan Hart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A man broke into Vancouver's Sweet Something bakery in the early hours of Friday, and the security footage made for a viral video. The bakery owner told Insider her "heart sank" until she saw the "hilarious" footage of the thief attempting to sweep up broken glass with a mop. Emma Irvine, owner of Sweet Something in Vancouver, shared a story time video to TikTok that showed a man breaking into her bakery in the early hours of Friday morning. It was hilarious – I was in stitches watching (the footage)," Irvine said. Sugar cookies iced to look like orange sunglasses will top the six replacement cupcakes Irvine says he stole.

☆ US airlines made nearly $7 billion in bag fees last year despite mishandling nearly 3 million of them — see how carriers compare
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-13 | by ( Taylor Rains | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

US airlines earned a collective $6.8 billion in baggage revenue in 2022. American Airlines generated the most revenue but had the worst mishandled bag rate of any carrier. The strategy has paid off, with airlines collectively earning about $6.8 billion in baggage revenue last year according to DOT stats. This year's $1 billion increase from 2019 is despite carrying 72 million fewer passengers. However, carriers faltered when it came to handling the luggage, resulting in nearly 3 million bags lost, destroyed, or delayed across all airlines in 2022.

☆ Airlines are offering more U.S.-Europe service than ever — but don't expect bargains
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-13 | by ( Leslie Josephs | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Airlines scheduled a near-record 51,000 flights from June through August from the U.S. to Europe, according to airline data firm Cirium. The number of scheduled seats is the highest since 2018. Despite that increase in capacity across the Atlantic, fares are up sharply as airlines test travelers' appetites for trips abroad. JetBlue is flying to London's two largest airports from New York and Boston, and plans to launch service to Paris from New York in June. Delta plans to offer a record number of seats from the U.S. to Europe, up 20% from last summer.

☆ Meet a childcare worker who makes $15 an hour and lives with 4 roommates to be able to afford doing the job she loves
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-11 | by ( Juliana Kaplan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Marie is a childcare worker in Georgia, where she makes $15 an hour to teach 3-year-olds. She said that many childcare workers don't make enough to live on, leading to staffing shortages. In 2021, childcare workers made an average of $533 a week. Many childcare workers found themselves facing hard conditions and low pay — and, rather than accept those, left the profession entirely. That's led to labor shortages, which in turn has led to less-available childcare and fewer parents able to work.

☆ Question: How are some bars boosting profits? Answer: Trivia nights
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-07 | by ( Noah Sheidlower | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

In February, she begged friends to come to Talea's first trivia night, fearing only a few players would show up. NYC Trivia League, which hosts trivia at over 100 venues across New York City, recently surpassed its weekly event count from early 2020 and the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown. Brooklyn Brewery has been hosting trivia nights with the NYC Trivia League since 2019. Bumpy road to recoveryWith so many new venues hosting trivia nights, Kostyo cautioned bars may "cannibalize each other" as more businesses try to plant their flag in the trivia space. On a trivia night, we are easily doubling our sales from the previous night.

☆ Long Covid disabled them. Then they met a ‘broken’ Social Security disability process
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-25 | by ( Morgan Stephens | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

And two Congressional bills addressing the long Covid crisis — The “Covid-19 Long Haulers Act,” which would’ve collected data on long Covid patients with the goal of creating better care and treatment, and “The Care For Long Covid Act” would’ve improved research, centralized data and resources for people with Long Covid — died without making it out of committee. Disabled by long Covid since March 2020, she lives with her spouse and their 7-year-old son in Portland, Ore. “We didn’t design our life to be a single-income household.”Other long Covid patients have rearranged their finances, too. His company’s private long-term disability insurance pays a smaller percentage of the monthly benefit payout when federal disability pays a portion. “They’re not only dealing with long Covid complications, but they’re dealing with financial complications,” she said of her clients.

☆ Three Years Into Covid, We Still Don’t Know How to Talk About It
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( Jon Mooallem | Photographs Ashley Gilbertson | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +53 min

It will play out and reverberate for years or decades, Hagen told me. “The pathological normal,” Hagen calls it: a patchwork of homespun, bespoke realities, each one invested in a different story about what exactly happened when Covid ruptured the story of our lives. garb.”More than once, life seemed to be attaining “an uncanny resemblance to normal life,” as one man put it. But because we don’t totally understand where that experience has delivered us, we don’t know the right gloss to give it. “The days are strange,” one public-school teacher told Milstein toward the end of his first interview, in May 2020.

☆ Long Covid has an ‘underappreciated’ role in labor shortage, study finds
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-30 | by ( Greg Iacurci | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Long Covid is keeping people out of work and may reduce on-the-job productivity for others, contributing to a labor shortage and weighing on the U.S. economy at large, according to a new study. Long Covid — also known as long-haul Covid, post-Covid or post-acute Covid syndrome — is a chronic illness that results from a Covid-19 infection. Up to 30% of Americans develop long Covid after a Covid infection, affecting as many as 23 million Americans, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said in November. About 18% of people with long Covid hadn't returned to work for more than a year after contracting Covid, according to a recent study by the New York State Insurance Fund, the state's largest workers' compensation insurer. The labor force participation rate was 62.3% in December, which has shown "little net change" since early 2022 and remains a percentage point below its pre-pandemic level, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics most recent jobs report.

☆ Why do people buy crackpot conspiracy theories?
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( Adam Rogers | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +13 min

When it comes to the spread of cockamamie conspiracy theories, Twitter was a maximum viable product long before Elon Musk paid $44 billion for the keys. The more you think you're right all the time, a new study suggests, the more likely you are to buy conspiracy theories, regardless of the evidence. It'd be better, or at least more reassuring, if conspiracy theories were fueled by dumb yahoos rather than self-centered monsters. Still, most scientists thought conspiracy theories weren't worth their time, the province of weirdos connecting JFK's death to lizard aliens. Pennycook's findings also suggest an explanation for why conspiracy theories have become so widely accepted.

Emergency room visits related to three of the most disruptive viruses — the flu, respiratory syncytial virus and Covid — are falling nationwide. "We were really curious to see what this year would look like" following several years of almost no flu, Thomas said. Flu hospitalizations for very young children in Tennessee have already reached peak levels seen in other bad flu seasons, at 12.6 per 100,000, the new study found. While most flu cases so far have been A strains of the virus, B strains tend to pop up by spring. "I do suspect that we will have more bumps in the road this respiratory viral season," Passaretti said.

☆ China's economic growth is slowing as GDP data show Xi Jinping's zero-COVID policy took its toll
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( Rebecca Ungarino | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Economic data released Tuesday in China show its growth slowed amid the government's zero-COVID policy. That growth for 2022 is below expectations of 5.5% GDP growth that Chinese officials had set. The data showed the impact from the government's zero-COVID policy. Gross domestic product data released early Tuesday in China showed growth was below the 8.1% increase in GDP that the country reported for 2021. GDP in China rose 2.9% in the fourth quarter from a year prior, according to a press release.

A key adviser to the Food and Drug Administration's vaccine panel is questioning whether more Covid booster shots are necessary for healthy, younger people. The FDA later backed the vaccine panel, authorizing a new formulation of the booster shots. “The people who are talking about why young people need it are missing the point,” he said, referring to the booster. Levy, the director of the Precision Vaccines Program at Boston Children’s Hospital, continues to encourage Covid boosters for everyone who is eligible. Relatively few people in the U.S. have had updated boosters.

Democrats will wield an expanded 51-seat Senate majority and control the presidency. We need to be cutting spending,” McCarthy told reporters after a meeting with Senate Republicans on Dec. 21. There’s so much discombobulation and disunity on different sides of the Republican caucus,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., told reporters before the holiday recess. Conservative lawmakers say a GOP House should block a debt limit increase without major policy changes to rein in spending. Some House Republicans are already calling to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas over his department's handling of immigration policy.

☆ Covid, flu and RSV: What science shows about being contagious
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-18 | by ( Benjamin Ryan | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +8 min

People know when they have Covid symptoms, but do minor sniffles at the end of a coronavirus infection, for example, mean they’re still contagious? It’s a good time to brush up on what scientists know, and still don’t know, about how long people remain infectious with viral diseases — Covid, influenza, RSV — that are spreading across the U.S.How long am I contagious with Covid? If you’ve been exposed to someone who has tested positive for Covid, symptoms from any of the omicron subvariants generally appear two to four days later. How contagious you are is connected to how much of the virus, known as the viral load, is in your body. As far as relying on Covid tests to determine whether someone is still contagious, PCR tests are good at diagnosing Covid.

☆ POTS, a debilitating heart condition, is linked to Covid and, to a lesser degree, vaccines
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-12 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Berkeley-Lovelace-Jr.Jpg | Berkeley Lovelace Jr. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

Research published Monday has confirmed a link between a Covid infection and a debilitating heart condition called POTS, or postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome, that has been diagnosed in some patients with long Covid. POTS was also linked, to a lesser degree, to Covid vaccination with an mRNA vaccine, according to the new study. He also said that the link between POTS and Covid vaccination needs to be confirmed with further studies. Other vaccines have also been linked to POTS in early accounts, but further research did not establish a causal link. The link between an infection — including Covid — and POTS, however, is more well-established.

☆ Long Covid is distorting the labor market — and that's bad for the U.S. economy
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( Greg Iacurci | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +13 min

She eventually learned that the balance issues and ear pain resulted from a damaged vestibular nerve, a known effect of long Covid. She found that 2 million to 4 million full-time workers are out of the labor force due to long Covid. For one, many of the hundreds of potential long Covid symptoms are invisible to others, even if disabling for the afflicted. Why the long Covid labor gap mattersJerome Powell, chair of the Federal Reserve, mentioned Sheiner and Salwati's long Covid research in a recent speech about inflation and the labor market. That burden will continue to rise if long Covid patients don't start recovering at greater rates, she said.

☆ Long Covid's financial devastation: $8,000 in credit card debt, ruined retirement plans
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( Annie Nova | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

More than a third of respondents said their income had gone down as a result of long Covid. "Long Covid is as much part of the pandemic as is the acute phase, during which the government went to great lengths to treat people and save lives," said Oved Amitay, president of the Long Covid Alliance, an advocacy group. Of the long Covid patients she has seen, only 2 out of 50 who have applied for SSDI have been approved so far, she said. Sharon Sunders long Covid patient"They may not have the resources to go through the process," Verduzco-Gutierrez said. 'There's a tidal wave of us coming'Sunders wishes the Biden administration would do more to help those financially struggling with long Covid.

The spread of RSV appears to be slowing, though Covid cases have risen since Thanksgiving and flu hospitalizations remain at a decade high, CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said Monday. "This year’s flu season is off to a rough start," Dr. Sandra Fryhofer, board chair of the American Medical Association, said at a CDC press briefing. Nationally, the number of positive weekly RSV tests fell from more than 19,000 in the week ending Nov. 12 to around 7,500 in the week ending Nov. 26. Average daily Covid cases, however, have risen 16% over the last two weeks, according to NBC News' tally. The CDC recorded a nearly 18% increase in average daily hospital admissions due to Covid from the week ending Nov. 22 to the week ending Nov. 29.

☆ Xi Jinping's Biggest Crisis yet: China Lockdown Protests, Stumbling Economy
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( Linette Lopez | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Over what has been a stunning week, China has erupted in mass protests calling for an end to the country's restrictive COVID lockdowns. Easing the COVID lockdowns could spur a potentially devastating public health crisis. Accepting Western vaccines or rolling back zero COVID would be a tacit admission that he is fallible. There's lots of money to be made in China, and its economy would almost certainly improve if zero COVID restrictions were loosened. Under Xi, China was already shuttering its doors long before the pandemic struck.

☆ Millions suffer from long Covid — and it costs them $9,000 a year in health-care expenses, on average
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( Greg Iacurci | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +11 min

There is no cure or approved treatment for ME/CFS; as with long Covid, patient symptoms are merely treated or managed. 'People are trying all sorts of treatments'Getting an official long Covid diagnosis can be challenging, which can compound early expenses. Like many who suffer from long Covid, Pohl seeks relief from crippling symptoms wherever it's available. "There are so many of us now that it's taking months to see professionals," she said of long Covid patients. watch nowTime alone generally doesn't cure long Covid symptoms; it often requires some form of rehabilitation.

☆ Noom sells psychology-driven weight loss — but former employees say they were unprepared for and overwhelmed by users' eating disorders, depression, and trauma
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +31 min

Before joining Noom, users fill out a questionnaire asking about what diet programs or mental health apps they've used in the past. Very overly optimistic and happy, doesn't acknowledge what I'm really saying," one Noom user wrote on Reddit. Some of the coaches Insider interviewed said they were interacting with Noom users within two weeks of starting. Emotional bandwidthRachel Clair was hired as a Noom coach in 2018, at a time when the coaching staff grew from 60 to about 200. Annette Riedl/picture alliance via Getty ImagesIn October, 500 more Noom coaches were abruptly called into a virtual meeting and laid off.

☆ Long Covid may be 'the next public health disaster' — with a $3.7 trillion economic impact rivaling the Great Recession
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( Greg Iacurci | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +12 min

Norpel is one of millions of Americans with long Covid, also known as long-haul Covid, post-Covid or post-acute Covid syndrome. Key symptoms: Long Covid has been linked to more than 200 symptoms, according to The Rockefeller Foundation. Duration: There's no consistent definition of how long symptoms must persist for someone to be considered a long Covid patient. What experts do know is that for some, long Covid symptoms can last months or even years. "I don't know if it's for the rest of my life or not," Hurst said of feeling long Covid symptoms.

watch nowMichael Bryand, 35, first got Covid in September 2020. And currently, as many as 23 million Americans have what's considered long Covid, according to recent estimates from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Long Covid is 'something invisible'Michael Bryand, here with his family, first got Covid in September 2020. Ramey was a nurse in San Antonio for 30 years before she got Covid in 2020. Verduzco-Gutierrez works primarily with Covid patients, including Ramey and Bryand, through the long Covid clinic she established in 2020.

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