- How Employers Should Prepare for the End of the COVID-19 Emergencies – SHRM: The Biden administration has announced that the COVID-19 public health emergency and national emergency will end on May 11th. This will have implications for employers and their health and benefits plans, such as increased costs and administrative burdens. Employers should prepare for this by considering their options, such as extending existing benefits or introducing new ones. They should also be aware of any changes to laws or regulations that may affect their plans.
- CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky discusses how the agency is addressing COVID shortfalls: It has been three years since the US began shutting down due to the spread of COVID-19. Despite the pandemic being over for many people, the CDC reports there are still 2,300 deaths and 3,000 hospitalizations each day due to COVID. The CDC is now undergoing a major reorganization after an internal review identified shortcomings. We are joined by CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky.
- Three years in: 7 things we’ve learned about COVID | CU Boulder Today: Researchers at CU Boulder and universities across the country have been working to learn more about COVID-19 since it was first discovered in Colorado three years ago. They have studied how to test for and trace it, how to prevent its spread, and how to develop treatments and vaccines. Their work has been essential in helping us understand the virus and combat its effects.
- Why some parents lied about their children’s COVID status: “I wanted my child’s life to feel normal”: A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that some US parents were not honest about their children’s coronavirus symptoms, quarantine measures and testing guidelines, potentially contributing to viral spread. The study surveyed 1,700 adults in December 2021, including 580 parents with children.
- Prophylactic Antibodies Alter Vaccine Responses To Covid-19 – Forbes: A recent study by Schaefer-Babajew et al. in the journal Nature examines the influence of prophylactic antibody treatment on our antibody and memory responses to Covid-19, showing that long-term protection from disease depends on the efficacy of memory response, not on initial neutralizing responses.
- Schools tackle the Covid learning gap before federal funding ends – CNBC: Child reading and math competency rates have dropped significantly due to the coronavirus pandemic, wiping out two decades of progress. To combat this, billions in federal aid are being used to help schools make up for the educational disruption. However, states and school districts have only spent half of their Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief funds so far, leaving a deadline looming.
- ‘We are struggling’: doctors faced with vacuum of information on long Covid – The Guardian: Three years into the Covid pandemic, there is still a lack of information about long Covid, leading to stigma and questions about its legitimacy. Healthcare providers remain confident that researchers will eventually answer fundamental questions about the disease, such as what causes it aside from contracting the virus itself.
- 1 in 4 Parents Disregarded COVID-19 Safety Procedures for Their Children – Contagion Live: A new study published in JAMA Public Health has examined the prevalence of parents disregarding or misrepresenting COVID-19 public health measures for their children. The survey found that individual characteristics, such as age and political affiliation, were associated with these behaviors. The results suggest that targeted interventions are needed to help parents understand the importance of following safety protocols for their children.
- Demographic And Clinical Factors Associated With Long COVID – Health Affairs: The average time for a COVID-19 diagnosis and long COVID diagnosis was 250 days, and prior research has looked into changes in clinical outcomes due to COVID-19.
- This model lost both legs after complications from Covid-19 and a congenital heart defect …: Claire Bridges (21) from Florida, USA, was born with a heart defect and contracted Covid-19 in January 2022. The virus caused her to lose both her legs, but she is determined to remain positive and focus on the good things in her life.
- Formal Leave and Disability Programs Better Prepared Employers for Shifting Worker Needs: A recent study found that 59% of U.S. employers didn’t feel prepared to meet their employees’ changing needs and expectations due to COVID-19, social upheaval, and economic uncertainty. However, employers with formal leave and disability management programs felt more prepared to support these shifting employee needs.
- 4 Common Surgeries Shifted to Outpatient During COVID-19 – RevCycleIntelligence: This article discusses Policy & Regulation, Act Rule Court Case, and 8 new CPT codes added for Bivalent COVID-19 Booster Doses.
- Ernst: Release New Intel Linking Wuhan Lab to the Origins of COVID-19: Senator Joni Ernst and five of her Senate Republican colleagues have called on the Office of the Director of National Intelligence to release information used to assess the origins of COVID-19, including new intelligence linking the pandemic to the Wuhan Institute of Virology. They have requested that the different intelligence agencies explain how they reached their conclusions.
- Philadelphia Issues Rules on COVID Paid Sick Leave, and Revises … – Littler Mendelson P.C.: The Philadelphia Department of Labor has released its third iteration of regulations concerning three types of job-protected paid leave employers must provide under the Promoting Healthy Families and Workplaces Ordinance. These include Paid Sick and Safe Time, COVID-19 Paid Sick Leave, and Parental Leave. The new regulations clarify the requirements for each type of leave, including eligibility, accrual rates, and how they interact with other leave policies.
- Arkansas Tyson workers sue over lack of COVID protections – The Washington Post: Tyson is being sued by five Arkansas families who allege that the company failed to adequately protect their family members from COVID-19 while they were working in Tyson’s meat-packing facilities. The lawsuit claims that Tyson knew about the virus as early as January 2020, but did not provide adequate safety measures at the Arkansas plants.
- $126M class action vaccine mandate lawsuit launched – Timmins News: More than 200 people in a Canadian province are suing several cities for violating their constitutional rights by mandating the COVID vaccine. They are seeking $125.95 million in compensation, with each plaintiff asking for $550,000.
- Union nemesis will get reward for suing over COVID-19 loans – CBS News: The Mackinac Center for Public Policy was awarded a $22,500 reward for filing a lawsuit against the Michigan Education Association and the Michigan Education Special Services Association, who had received $12.5 million in government-backed loans during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic. The MEA and MESSA have agreed to pay $215,000 to the government as part of a settlement.
- Indiana Supreme Court to decide validity of COVID-19 class action lawsuits against colleges …: The Indiana Supreme Court has agreed to review a lower court ruling that could allow class action lawsuits against colleges and universities in the state for their response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The court’s decision will determine whether or not the state law providing limited legal immunity to higher education institutions will stand.
Daily News Pulse for March 13, 2023
Summary: Princeton students have seen an overall improvement in course satisfaction since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. In Japan, many people are still wearing masks despite the government’s easing of guidelines.
