Current Events in April 2020

With all the frontline action they’re faced with during the COVID-19 pandemic, first responders simply can’t be thanked enough.

And, as its thanks, Walgreens has designated Saturday, April 25 as “Frontline Heroes Discount Day.” On that day, the company will give all medical personnel, first responders, and police a 20 percent discount on regularly priced national brand products and a 30 percent discount on all regularly priced Walgreens brands. To qualify for the discount, the responders just need to show their employment badge or appropriate identification.

“At Walgreens, we would like to thank all of the physicians, nurses, paramedics, police officers, fire fighters, and other health care and frontline professionals working to support and care for our neighbors and communities,” said Richard Ashworth, Walgreens president, in a statement. 

“We are incredibly grateful for the ongoing work they continue to perform during these extraordinary times and hope that this serves as a small token of our appreciation for their ongoing service.”

Some restrictions apply

As you might imagine, there’s some fine print in the offer -- the biggest being that Walgreens has a limit on the quantity of certain items you can buy. The limits are placed on products that have been hoarded during the COVID-19 crisis -- toilet paper, for example -- and they also apply to this promotion.

In its announcement, the company included other small but important-to-know details. They are listed below. 

Discount not valid on alcohol, dairy, tobacco, stamps, gift cards, newspapers, magazines, money orders/transfers, transportation passes, lottery tickets, charitable donations, pseudoephedrine or ephedrine products, clinic services, prescriptions, pharmacy items or services, sales tax, membership fees, and items or services submitted to insurance for reimbursement or where otherwise limited by law. Offer is not combinable with Buy 1 get 1 FREE, Buy 1 get 1 50 percent off, or Buy 2 get 3rd FREE. Offer does not apply to bulk orders, back-ordered items, and out-of-stock items.

Adjusted for inflation, gasoline prices haven’t been this low since 1998, when Titanic smashed box office records and Seinfeld was must-see TV.

The AAA Fuel Gauge Survey shows the average price of regular gas is $1.82 a gallon, six cents less than a week ago. It’s a full dollar a gallon less than what consumers paid at this time a year ago. The average price of premium gas is $2.47 a gallon, also six cents less than last Friday. The average price of diesel fuel is $2.51, four cents less than a week ago.

At the beginning of the week, AAA reported a sharp drop in gasoline demand, with shelter-in-place rules in many parts of the nation keeping cars off the road. But by mid-week, that trend appeared to be shifting.

“Demand yesterday rose 2.00% from last Wednesday,” Patrick DeHaan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy wrote in a Thursday tweet. “This week Mon-Wed avg daily demand is up 0.97% from last week same time frame. We haven't seen much more of a drop, but not improving much, either.”

That, along with the rather moderate decline in week-over-week average gas prices, suggests that prices at the pump could be nearing a bottom. The decline may also be slowed by an agreement last week among oil producers to cut production to boost prices.

“While the production cut is historic, it’s likely to not have an immediate impact on pump prices given the ongoing impact the COVID-19 pandemic continues to have on crude oil prices and gasoline demand,” said AAA Spokesperson Jeanette Casselano.

Wisconsin continues to have the cheapest gasoline in the nation, and Hawaii has the most expensive.

The states with the most expensive regular gas

These states currently have the highest prices for regular gas, according to the AAA Fuel Gauge Survey:

• Hawaii ($3.25)

• California ($2.83)

• Washington ($2.55)

• Oregon ($2.51) 

• Nevada ($2.42)

• Arizona ($2.25)

• New York ($2.24)

• Alaska ($2.15)

• Utah ($2.14)

•  Pennsylvania ($2.10)

The states with the cheapest regular gas

The survey found these states currently have the lowest prices for regular gas:

• Wisconsin ($1.26)

• Oklahoma ($1.39)

• Ohio ($1.44)

• Kentucky ($1.49)

• Michigan ($1.49)

• Arkansas ($1.50)

• Indiana ($1.51)

• Iowa ($1.52)

• Mississippi ($1.55)

• Texas ($1.57)

BJ’s Wholesale Club has announced that it’s giving first responders and healthcare workers an opportunity to shop without a membership. Starting April 19, the chain will host an “Appreciation Hour” from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. on Sundays. 

“We are incredibly grateful for everything that our first responders and healthcare workers are doing to keep our communities safe and healthy,” Lee Delaney, President and Chief Executive Officer, BJ’s Wholesale Club, said in a statement. “We’re proud to offer a designated shopping hour to first responders and healthcare workers as a small way to say thank you for their hard work and dedication.”

BJ’s said it will also offer these critical workers a complementary four-month Inner Circle membership. The membership can be obtained by visiting the member services desk.

Senior shopping hours

In the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, a number of grocery chains have made changes to their hours and operations. 

Costco is offering a designated shopping hour twice weekly for the elderly. The event happens on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. Walmart, Publix, and a slew of other grocers have also carved out special shopping hours for seniors with the aim of keeping potentially vulnerable individuals from getting sick.

BJ’s said in its announcement that it would also set up dedicated shopping hours for members over 60. Senior shopping hours will be held Monday through Saturday from 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. Alternatively, consumers can avoid going to BJ’s altogether by visiting delivery.bjs.com and requesting grocery delivery. 

On Thursday, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) voted unanimously to approve the merger of T-Mobile and Sprint. The decision was the final step in a long road toward receiving merger approval for the two companies. 

The $23 billion deal closed on April 1 without CPUC approval, following a long period of opposition from state attorneys general. Lawmakers argued that the deal would be anticompetitive and raise costs for consumers. 

However, in February, a federal judge allowed the deal to move forward, saying it “would allow the merged company to continue T-Mobile’s undeniably successful business strategy for the foreseeable future.” Now, the CPUC has voted unanimously to approve the merger. 

The new entity will operate under the T-Mobile name. 

Conditions of the deal

Under the deal, the wireless carriers have agreed to uphold conditions laid out by the CPUC in March. The new company is required to offer 5G speeds of at least 300Mbps to 93 percent of California’s population by the end of 2024 and add 1,000 jobs in California in five years.

An independent monitor will be tasked with ensuring T-Mobile complies with the conditions of approval, the CPUC said.

“A critical part of this deal is the benefits it provides for our neediest consumers, by ensuring that T-Mobile continues LifeLine service and enrolls at least 300,000 new LifeLine customers,” said CPUC Commissioner Clifford Rechtschaffen. “Our enforcement provisions are particularly strong and both the CPUC and the California Attorney General may enforce the CPUC’s conditions of approval.”

T-Mobile previously agreed to establish satellite TV company Dish Network as a fourth major wireless company for the sake of preserving competition. T-Mobile also promised to offer "the same or better rate plans" for three years.

T-Mobile has argued that joining forces with Sprint will pave the way for a faster rollout of nationwide 5G. The mega-merger will enable the combined company to join their high-band and low-band spectrum with the goal of expediting the deployment of national 5G.

Though young people are drinking fewer sugary drinks on the whole, lawmakers continue to do their part to help kids and parents make healthier choices.  

Now, researchers from New York University have found that the labels on kids’ fruit drinks are often misleading for parents. The team says that labels on fruit juice drinks are often unclear when it comes to which juices are strictly fruit and which contain added sugars. 

“Given the many different drinks marketed to children that contain or appear to contain juice, it is important that caregivers are able to differentiate among products and identify healthier options,” said researcher Jennifer Pomeranz. 

Understanding nutrition labels

The researchers analyzed top-selling kids’ juice drinks and evaluated the nutrition facts to determine how outside labelling differed from what was inside the drinks. Their work ultimately revealed why it’s so complicated for parents to know what’s really in the drinks they’re buying for their kids. 

Many drinks that contained natural sweeteners didn’t indicate that there were added sugars, while others tried to spin it so the added sugars were seen as a positive. Those that didn’t contain high-fructose corn syrup used that as a selling point in their packaging, though the juices had other types of added sweetener. 

“We identified numerous labeling practices that obscure the true nature of drinks trying to pass as juice, blurring the distinction between drinks that are acceptable for children and those containing added sugars or sweeteners,” said Pomeranz. “Nonetheless, these practices align with current FDA regulations, which allow the naming and use of fruit images that reflect the drink’s flavor, regardless of the product’s ingredients.” 

All but three percent of the juices analyzed for the study showed images of fruits on the containers, though almost 50 percent of the drinks didn’t contain the fruits shown on the packaging. 

Moving forward, the researchers say the goal should be to help consumers make the healthiest choices for their kids in the easiest way possible. 

“The FDA should make it easier for consumers to tell what products are healthy for children -- without having to carefully inspect the nutrition panel and decipher each ingredient on the back of the package,” said Pomeranz. 

Previous studies have cited the countless benefits kids gain from reading, but a new study suggests what kinds of stories tend to pique young ones’ interests. 

The researchers learned that when stories explain causality -- how and why events are unfolding -- children are more likely to stay engaged. This information is important because it could help guide parents and educators to keep their kids more interested in reading. 

“There has been a lot of research on children’s interest in causality, but these studies almost always take place in a research lab using highly contrived procedures and activities,” said researcher Margaret Shavlik. “We wanted to explore how this early interest in causal information might affect everyday activities with young children -- such as joint book reading.” 

Encouraging literacy

To better understand what kinds of stories most engage kids, the researchers had nearly 50 children between the ages of three and four years old participate in the study. The experiment was simple: volunteers read two different stories to the children and then asked them which one they preferred. 

“We read children two books: one rich with causal information, in this case, about why animals behave and look the way they do, and another one that was minimally causal, instead just describing animals’ features and behaviors,” said Shavlik. 

Overall, the kids favored the stories that gave more real-world information, as opposed to the ones that did less explaining. Though the excitement about both stories was the same, the researchers believed that the kids’ curiosity about how the world works ultimately won out when it was time to pick a favorite. 

These findings are positive in that they give insight into what could keep kids interested in reading. This information could be beneficial for both parents and teachers who are looking to engage young people in books and stories. 

“If children do indeed prefer storybooks with causal explanations, adults might seek out more causally rich books to read with children -- which might in turn increase the child’s motivation to read together, making it easier to foster literacy early,” Shavlik said. 

Chrysler is recalling 425,588 model year 2019-2020 Ram 1500, 1500 Classic and Jeep Compass vehicles.

The windshield wiper arm or arms may loosen, possibly causing the wipers to not operate properly and reduce the driver's visibility in certain weather conditions.

Reduced visibility increases the risk of a crash.

What to do

Chrysler will notify owner, and dealers will tighten the wiper nuts free of charge.

The recall is expected to begin May 29, 2020.

Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at (800) 853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is W25.

Polaris Industries of Medina, Minn., is recalling about 10,500 model year 2019 Polaris PRO XD and model year 2020 Ranger Utility vehicles (UTVs) sold in the U.S. and Canada.

The seat belts can fail, posing an injury hazard to the user in a collision or tip-over incident.

No incidents or injuries are reported.

This recall involves model Year 2019 PRO XD and model year 2020 Ranger utility vehicles sold in black, blue, camo, gray and green and have two or four seats.

“POLARIS” is stamped on the front grille and “POLARIS PRO XD” or “Ranger” on the sides of the utility bed.

Vehicle identification numbers (VIN) included in this recall can be found on a label affixed to the vehicle frame in the left front wheel well.

Non-sequential VINs from 4XABEPD40K8940052 through 4XABEPD4XK8940172, 4XARRB990L8930682 through 4XARSW99XL8932306, 4XAT6A990L8881136 through 4XATAU99XL8884593, 3NSM4A570LE764085 through 3NSMAE57XLE767012, 3NSMAA500LE763806, through 3NSMAA50XLE768821 and 3NSMAAE40LE765283 through 3NSMAAE4XLE768742 of the following models are included in this recall:

The UTVs, manufactured in the U.S., were sold at Polaris dealers nationwide from October 2019, through December 2019, for between $9,500 and $24,000.

What to do

Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled vehicles and contact a Polaris dealer to schedule a free inspection and repair. Polaris is notifying dealers and contacting registered owners directly.

Consumers may contact Polaris at (800) 765-2747 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. (CT) Monday through Friday or online at www.polaris.com and click on “Off Road Safety Recalls” at the bottom of the page for more information.

In addition, check your vehicle identification number (VIN) on the “Product Safety Recalls” page to see if your vehicle is included in any recalls.

Under a proposed plan from a pair of Democratic lawmakers, Americans over the age of 16 who make less than $130,000 per year would be eligible to receive cash payments from the government for at least six months and until unemployment sinks back down to pre-COVID-19 levels. 

The Emergency Money for the People Act -- which was introduced Tuesday by Rep. Ro Khanna and Rep. Tim Ryan -- would deposit at least $2,000 a month into Americans’ pockets via direct deposit, check, or mobile apps such as Venmo. Families would receive an additional $500 per child. 

"As millions of Americans file for unemployment week over week, we have to work quickly to patch the dam — and that means putting cash in the hands of hard-working families," Ryan said in a press release.

One-time check ‘isn’t going to cut it’

The proposed plan comes ahead of the anticipated dispersal of stimulus checks from the IRS as part of the coronavirus relief package. Khanna and other critics argue that those checks won’t “cut it” for Americans who are struggling financially in the midst of the health crisis.

"A one-time, $1,200 check isn't going to cut it," Khanna said. "Americans need sustained cash infusions for the duration of this crisis in order to come out on the other side alive, healthy, and ready to get back to work. Members on both sides of the aisle are finally coming together around the idea of sending money out to people. Rep. Ryan and I are urging leadership to include this bill in the fourth COVID relief package to truly support the American working class.”

Jobless claims have surged in response to consumers being urged to stay home to slow the spread of the coronavirus. In total, nearly 22 million people (or one-in-eight of the workforce) have filed for unemployment in the past four weeks. 

The hopes of reopening businesses closed as a safety measure during the COVID-19 pandemic evaporated Thursday afternoon as New York and several other East Coast states decided to extend the shutdown of schools and nonessential businesses to May 15 -- two weeks longer than originally planned.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo made the update on the “NYS on PAUSE” initiative at his daily press conference at the state capitol.

“Non-essential workers must continue to stay home. Social distancing rules remain in place. … We have to continue doing what we’re doing. I’d like to see that infection rate get down even more,” he wrote on Twitter.

A wait-and-see approach

Cuomo did not specify exactly what other states will join New York in this extension, but they’re believed to be Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island. Those states are all part of the “Covid Corridor” and members of a working group of governors Cuomo is leading. 

New Jersey and Delaware have already made announcements about extending shutdowns until May 15. Lawmakers from the latter said the move was part of an effort to help school leaders and educators plan for what came next. New Jersey is taking the open-ended approach and has decided to keep its order in place “until further notice.”

“I need a coordinated action plan with the other states. So, one month, we’ll continue the close-down policies. What happens after then? I don’t know. We will see what the data shows,” Cuomo said. “I don’t want to project beyond that period.”

Coronavirus (COVID-19) tally as compiled by Johns Hopkins University. (Previous numbers in parentheses.)

Total U.S. confirmed cases: 640,291 (610,774)

Total U.S. deaths: 31,015 (26,119)

Total global cases: 2,090,110 (2,006,513)

Total global deaths: 139,469 (128,886)

Another huge jump in unemployment claims

Initial claims for unemployment benefits now total more than 20 million since the U.S. economy shut down to mitigate the effects of the conroavirus (COVID-19). In the week ending April 11, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 5,245,000, a decrease of 1,370,000 from the previous week's revised level. 

The Labor Department’s four-week moving average was 5,508,500, an increase of 1,240,750 from the previous week's revised average. Even though there was an encouraging drop-off in claims from the previous week, the numbers show a staggering number of people have applied for benefits in a very short period of time.

It marks the highest level of the seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate in the history of the seasonally adjusted series. The previous high was 7.0 percent in May of 1975.

Out of money

The $350 billion portion of the CARES Act for Small Business Administration (SBA) loans has been distributed, and the program is now officially out of money. More businesses need loans, and both the White House and Congress have talked about appropriating more, but nothing has happened so far.

Congress is still on its Easter/Passover recess, and the House does not plan to return to Washington until early May. The loans were highly popular with small businesses and their employees since the money would not have to be repaid as long as the borrower didn’t lay off any employees during the term of the loan.

Lost in transition

Since the very beginning of the pandemic, the U.S. has been playing catch-up when it comes to adequate testing and getting enough protective gear for medical personnel and first responders -- not to mention average consumers.

Officials thought they had made significant headway with the purchase of a major shipment of emergency supplies from China, but those much-needed items have yet to arrive on U.S. shores. The Wall Street Journal reports that new Chinese government export rules are apparently the reason those supplies are still sitting in warehouses.

And according to The Journal, the supplies are being purchased from an American company that has its production plant in China. The U.S.-owned factory apparently lacks a certification required by the new rules to export its products.

Starbucks considers reopening some cafes

As businesses start thinking about getting back to normal, Starbucks is considering plans to reopen cafes in parts of the U.S. that have been less affected by the coronavirus pandemic. 

The coffee chain shuttered its U.S. and Canadian cafes on March 21, limiting service to drive-thru and delivery. The shutdown order was scheduled to expire on May 3. 

In a letter to employees today, CEO Kevin Johnson said the company plans to “monitor and adapt” to local conditions before deciding to reopen its cafes, a system he said was used in China to determine when to reopen stores.

Around the nation

• Missouri: Attorney General Eric Schmitt sent a cease and desist letter to a Branson-area business, Tuning Element, for allegedly inflating the prices on KN95 masks. "We will continue to investigate and work with businesses to root out and combat price gouging,” Schmidt said. 

• Michigan: Two Rockford-area businesses have agreed to stop marketing and selling phony products they claimed would help protect people from the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The state’s attorney general says Frequency Apps Corp. and Biores Technologies Inc. signed an assurance of voluntary compliance (AVC) document and agreed not to market or sell the “Coronavirus Defender” patch. 

• Utah: Lt. Gov. Spencer Cox is optimistic that the state’s economy may reopen sooner than officials previously estimated. Cox said the state has far fewer cases of the virus and hospitalizations than early models predicted.

Upwards of a million Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans had been approved as of Wednesday afternoon, according to the Small Business Administration. But with a value of more than $296 billion, those loans are poised to push the $349 billion program to its limit soon -- and although Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin has promised to replenish the program soon, Congress has yet to agree on the terms of the new funding.

Last week, Senate Democrats blocked a bid by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R - Ky.) to deliver an additional $250 billion in coronavirus aid to small businesses. Delays have also cropped up in other assistance available to owners, such as the Disaster Loan program.

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) who chairs the Senate Small Business Committee, said the program, which was established under the $2.2 trillion stimulus deal approved by Congress last month, would likely "grind to a halt" by Wednesday evening.

"Now 700000 small business applications are in limbo & no new loans will be made until the game of chicken in Congress ends & additional $ approved," he said on Twitter, adding that the politics were "inexcusable." 

Impasse on additional funding

On Wednesday, House speaker Nancy Pelosi (D- Calif.), reiterated her concerns that the Republican proposal would not pass the House because it did not address “critical issues.”

“Democrats know that in order for the Paycheck Protection Program to succeed, it must work for everyone. That is why we have been asking for the administration to work with us to help: the underbanked small businesses and others who are struggling to access the PPP; desperate state and local governments; hospitals on the front lines of the epidemic,” she said in a statement.

“As has been clear since last week, Republicans’ bill which fails to address these critical issues cannot get unanimous consent in the House,” she said.

Funds for loan approval recipients

Business owners that have received loan approval numbers should receive funds soon, as CNBC notes that Treasury guidance states that “the lender must make the first disbursement of the loan no later than ten calendar days from the date of loan approval.”

Businesses in need of assistance due to the coronavirus pandemic can also apply to receive funds through the Economic Injury Disaster Loan program. This initiative provides disaster assistance loans of up to $2 million. However, owners who have applied directly with the SBA to access the aid have encountered delays. 

“In the past, borrowers were told they could also access up to $10,000 as a cash advance within three days of a successful application to the program,” CNBC wrote. “Guidance has since changed, with businesses now being told funds will be distributed ‘within days’ and that aid will be limited to $1,000 per employee up to $10,000.” 

The widow of a man who died of the coronavirus (COVID-19) after being a passenger aboard the Grand Princess has filed a lawsuit against Princess Cruise Lines, charging negligence on the part of the company.

Michael Dorety, a retired firefighter from Crowley, Texas, boarded the Grand Princess cruise ship in San Francisco in early March with his wife Susan. He died after getting the virus.

Susan Dorety’s suit claims that some passengers who had COVID-19 symptoms had just left the ship while more than 60 others were allowed to remain on-board after they had been exposed to the virus.

The complaint says the cruise line alerted the previous passengers four days later that they had been exposed to the virus but did not warn the passengers who had just boarded. The Grand Princess attempted to return to California but was denied permission for several days, delaying its eventual arrival in San Francisco.

"It is shocking to me that a cruise line that had just discharged coronavirus-infected passengers took onboard a new group of passengers to then mingle with others who had been exposed,” said Houston attorney Rusty Hardin, who represents Dorety.

Other action

It’s just the latest lawsuit to be filed against cruise lines over coronavirus-related issues, but legal experts say the law makes cases like this difficult to win. 

USA Today recently reported that a law passed nearly 100 years ago limits losses related to physical injuries and makes no provision for emotional or psychological injury in this kind of case. Under the law, survivors are barred from suing, even if a family member dies on a ship at sea.

That hasn’t deterred lawyers representing passengers and their families. The USA Today account tells of one attorney who has signed up 34 clients for a suit against Princess Cruises. The cruise line, without commenting on the case, told USA Today that its response throughout the pandemic has been focused on the health and safety of passengers and crew and it remains “sensitive to the difficulties the COVID-19 outbreak has caused.”

Shutdown mode

The cruise line industry is in shutdown mode after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) last week extended its No Sail Order for all cruise ships.

Over the past few weeks, at least 10 cruise ships were reported to have either crew or passengers that tested positive or showed symptoms of respiratory or influenza-like illnesses. 

As of last Friday, the U.S. Coast Guard counted more than 100 cruise ships still at sea with close to 80,000 passengers on board, either in or near U.S. ports and waters.

In a letter to employees, Starbucks CEO Kevin Johnson said that the company plans to gradually reopen a large number of stores throughout May. 

Like other brick-and-mortar establishments, the coffee chain is currently only serving guests through its drive-thru lanes in an effort to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Johnson said Starbucks has been using its experience in China to help it decide on a timeline for reopening U.S. locations.

Johnson noted that 95 percent of Starbucks’ stores are open, although many are operating with reduced hours and limited seating in compliance with local guidelines. 

“We are leveraging our experience in China to inform our COVID-19 response strategy in the U.S,” he said. “Although the virus did not begin to materially impact our U.S. business results until mid-March, we took progressive steps to contain the spread of the virus starting in late February.” 

The executive said Starbucks’ efforts to mitigate the spread of the novel coronavirus included stepping up its cleaning and sanitization procedures and temporarily closing mall locations. 

Increasing worker pay

Going forward, the plan is to gradually expand the types of services available at various locations. Types of service offered will vary between mobile ordering, drive-thru, pickup, and the addition of to-go services at some locations. 

In a separate letter, Rossann Williams, president of U.S. company-operated business and Canada, said Starbucks will continue to offer an additional $3 per hour pay to healthy individuals who choose to work next month.

“We will also continue to have Catastrophe Pay available for partners whose stores have to close, or stay closed, during May,” she said. “And in order to ensure partners are paid for their average baseline hours, we will make Catastrophe Pay available to help close the gap between hours worked on Service Pay and average baseline hours through May 31.

Regular operations, pay, and benefits are expected to be reinstated starting in June. 

The last thing the consumer world needs in the middle of a pandemic is a giant scourge of  unsound and incorrect information about COVID-19. And, as Facebook continues its campaign to be on the up-and-up, the social media giant is going the extra mile by telling users when they’ve unknowingly interacted with posts about fabricated cures and shams.

Facebook users who make that presumably innocent misstep will see a message pop up in their news feed that directs them to the World Health Organization (WHO)’s Myth busters section. Once they land on that page, they’ll be clued in to all the ridiculous and incorrect claims being made -- like the idea that 5G mobile networks cause coronavirus and that eating garlic helps prevent infection.

Like rolling a boulder uphill

Facebook says it’s directed more than 2 billion folks to WHO resources and other health experts since COVID-19 went viral, but getting everyone to pay attention to the messaging is like rolling a boulder uphill. To date, only about 350 million have clicked through to learn more. 

“Connecting people to credible information is only half the challenge,” Guy Rosen, Facebook’s VP of Integrity wrote in a blog post. “Stopping the spread of misinformation and harmful content about COVID-19 on our apps is also critically important. That’s why we work with over 60 fact-checking organizations that review and rate content in more than 50 languages around the world.”

To try and cover all its bets and make it easier for people to find factual information about the coronavirus, Facebook recently fleshed out its COVID-19 Information Center by adding a new section called Get the Facts. In that section are fact-checked articles from Facebook’s partners that debunk myths on top of what the WHO is doing. The articles are selected by Facebook’s News curators and updated at least once a week. Plans are also in the works to add that section to the U.S. version of Facebook News.

Not a Facebook user?

Facebook isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, so the WHO has expanded its coverage by creating an interactive chatbot for the billion-plus Rakuten Viber users. The goal is to get accurate information about COVID-19 to people in multiple languages.

Once someone subscribes to the WHO Viber chatbot, they will receive notifications with the latest news and information directly from WHO and can also test their knowledge of the virus via an interactive quiz that helps bust myths much like the WHO tries to do on its website. 

On a normal day, your bank’s online banking system will be accessed by a fairly small percentage of customers spread across the day. Wednesday, however, was not a normal day.

When word spread across social media early Wednesday that stimulus payments authorized by the CARES Act had hit bank accounts overnight, nearly everyone in America rushed to check their accounts to see if their money had arrived.

Banks large and small buckled under that kind of traffic. When a Fifth Third Bank customer in Madison, Wisc. complained on Twitter about the system being down, the bank posted this response: “We apologize for the inconvenience. Due to high volumes, some users are experiencing some applications and phone issues. We are working to restore service as soon as possible.”

Almost no bank was spared from the onslaught. Some were able to respond faster than others.

SunTrust and BB&T, which are merging as Truist, told the Charlotte Observer it was bringing some services back up by midday Wednesday and was “working as quickly as possible to restore all services.”

High traffic volume

TD Bank customers reported being locked out of their accounts for hours. “We truly apologize for any frustration this has caused for you,” the bank said in a Twitter post. “We have been informed of the outages with the online service due to the high traffic volume currently. we are working diligently to have this resolved for all our customers.”

When every bank customer in the country is expecting a $1,200 stimulus check from the government, there’s little wonder that there would be a dash to see if the money had arrived. Banks say their systems simply aren’t designed to be accessed by all their customers at once.

Adding to the traffic was the fact that Wednesday was April 15, with the middle of the month being a regular payday for millions of workers. In addition to checking on the payment from the government, many people were likely just trying to access their regular paychecks.

Small local banks fared better in some cases than their larger competitors since they have vastly fewer customers.  US Bank, JPMorgan Chase, and Citi are among the national banks that also reported issues with online access.

In nearly every case, issues were resolved and service was restored by late afternoon.

With many consumers struggling with high blood pressure, a new study conducted by researchers from UT Southwestern Medical Center explored how medical professionals could have a hard time getting an accurate blood pressure reading. 

The study revealed that taking patients’ blood pressure at different parts of the body can create different readings. This is problematic for health care professionals, as the reading can determine the course of treatment for patients. 

“For our patients in the [neuroscience intensive care unit, NSICU], blood pressure often needs to be maintained in a very narrow range,” said researcher Kathrina B. Siaron, RN. “Moving it one way or another could potentially harm the patient.” 

Understanding different blood pressure readings

The researchers, all of whom were nurses, evaluated 80 patients admitted into the NSICU between three months last year. 

Participants had their blood pressure taken in both arms, their wrists, and (for a small portion of patients) directly from their arteries. When taking the pressure in the arms or wrists, the researchers set up different machines on either arm or wrist and activated the machines at the same time. 

The researchers learned that blood pressure readings varied greatly between the different testing sites of the patients. Though the readings were taken at the same time, they came up quite differently. 

On average, systolic blood pressure changed by a value of 13 between the arm reading and the wrist reading, while the diastolic reading changed by a value of five between those spots. Similarly, the systolic reading had a difference of eight between the two arms, and the diastolic reading was different by as much as six points. 

The researchers are unsure as to why these changes are so drastic on the same patient, so they plan to continue their work in this area to better understand this trend. Because a blood pressure reading can determine what kind of treatment a doctor chooses for a patient, these variations in the readings can make a huge difference when it comes to health outcomes. 

“If we take pressure in one arm, a patient seems fine, but in the other arm, they’re in crisis,” said researcher DaiWai M. Olson, PhD. “The values we collected were really all over the place. There was no consistency between the same arm or wrist between different patients.” 

Recent studies have highlighted how wildfires have led to increased damages to nearby homes, and now researchers are exploring how such events can affect consumers’ health. 

According to researchers from the American Heart Association (AHA), consumers who are exposed to high levels of wildfire smoke could be at an increased risk of cardiac arrest. 

“In recent decades, we experienced a significant increase in large-scale wildfires, therefore, more people are being exposed to wildfire smoke,” said researcher Ana G. Rappold. “In order to respond properly, it is important for us to understand the health impacts of wildfire smoke exposure.” 

Staying heart healthy

To better understand how wildfires can affect consumers’ heart health, the researchers analyzed data from both the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Cardiac Arrest Registry to Enhance Survival (CARES). The dataset included individuals in over a dozen counties in California that had been affected by wildfires between 2015 and 2017. They then compared that information with levels of smoke exposure across the state. 

The researchers learned that consumers were at the highest risk of cardiac arrest on days when the smoke from wildfires was at its strongest. 

“Particulate matter from smoke that is inhaled can penetrate deeply into the lungs, and very small particles may cross into the bloodstream,” said Dr. Rappold. “These particles can create an inflammatory reaction in the lungs and throughout the body. The body’s defense system may react to activate the fight-or-flight system, increasing heart rate, constricting blood vessels, and increasing blood pressure. These changes can lead to disturbances in the heart’s normal rhythm, blockages in the blood vessels, and other effects creating conditions that could lead to cardiac arrest.” 

The study also revealed that consumers living in lower-income communities, smokers, and senior citizens were all at an increased risk of cardiac arrest. However, the researchers also explained that all consumers can take preventative measures to help stay safe following a wildfire. 

They recommend running the air conditioner in the home, as this can filter clean air inside while keeping the toxins out. Moreover, it’s important to stay indoors as often as possible to avoid smoke exposure when a wildfire is occurring.